Ideas For the Next Generation In Human-Computer Interfaces
Singularity Hub writes "For decades our options for interacting with the digital world have been limited to keyboards, mice, and joysticks. Now with a new generation of exciting new interfaces in the pipeline our interaction with the digital world will be forever changed. Singularity Hub looks at some amazing demonstrations, mostly videos, that showcase new ways of interacting with the digital world." Along similar lines, reader shakuni points out a facial expression-driven user interface reported on News.com for operating, say, an iPhone, explaining "This device is tiny and fits into the ear and measures movements inside the ear due to changes in facial expression and then uses that as input triggers. So [tongue out] starts or stops your iPod Touch; [Wink] rewinds to the last song; and [smile] replays the same song."
When windows 95 arrived, I played around with its voice recognition.
I wasnt quite impressed with it, since the only command I got working properly was "fuck" which caused the machine to reboot.
Although voice control has interesting potential, its not optimal for most situations. (think open cubicle office)
There are no atheists when recovering from tape backup.
I can see useful applications for this, but I hope there is a switch I have to depress while I make the gesture, plus a "hold" switch so I can lock gestures on or off at all times. For example, if I catch my wife cheating and I look stunned, I don't want that to accidentally to push the "panic" button on my car alarm so my nosy neighbor starts poking around during the ensuing drama. That would certainly be a small and silly example of this technology making life more difficult instead of better.
...not that I'd ever be able to get a wife (let alone a girlfriend), but at least I made a good car analogy ;-)
CAn'T CompreHend SARcaSm?
I still think that people using BlueTooth headsets look like they're off their meds, walking down the street, talking to themselves. This'll open up whole new Vistas of crazy-looking people. Is he having a seizure or just skipping through his iPod's playlist?
Have gnu, will travel.
For ordinary everyday users, this is very impractical and even silly. But for quadriplegics, it could be something else entirely.