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Google Works On Kinect-Like Interface For Android

Posted by Soulskill on from the operating-phones-becomes-more-like-voodoo dept.

bizwriter writes "A patent filing made public last week suggests that Google may be trying to implement a motion-detection interface, like Microsoft Kinect, for portable electronic gadgets. The patent application is for technology that turns a mobile device's camera into a motion-input system. In other words, it could be goodbye to fingerprints and streaks on the front of your tablet or smartphone. Google could incorporate such a feature into Android in general or keep it as a differentiating advantage for its acquisition of Motorola."

15 of 49 comments (clear)

  1. More sales by agentgonzo · · Score: 4, Funny

    I get it. They're following the Wii model:

    Rapid gesticulation to control device
    Accidentally throw device across room
    Have to buy new device to replace broken one
    Profit!

    1. Re:More sales by cpu6502 · · Score: 2

      I LOLed. :-)

      Except the throwing the device across the room usually isn't "accidental". ;-) The Wii control frustrates me to no end, especially when trying to play a rapid-paced game like Metroid Prime 3 or Sonic. I wish I could go back to using the gamecube controller because it is more precise & registers my inputs 99.999% of the time. (The wii control is more like 90% of the time, which is lousy.)

      --
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    2. Re:More sales by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      You just know WP7 gesture control is going to involve throwing chairs across the room.

  2. Couple questions... by awshidahak · · Score: 2

    So... what do you do? Set your phone on the table while you danec in front of it to send a text message? It's cool on the kinect, but seems weird on android. Also, shouldn't they be putting more energy into changing the name of google play store back to android market?

    1. Re:Couple questions... by DrgnDancer · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I suspect more like: "wave hand in front of phone instead of swiping". You'll probably still have to type on the screen or get a hardware keyboard, but this could free up some of the constant tapping and swiping across your viewing surface that you need to do for even the grossest control movement on a phone or tablet. Between this and improved dictation you could remove most of the need to touch the screen, but you're not going to completely eliminate it without a either a physical keyboard of someone coming up with a completely new paradigm.

      --
      I don't need a million points of light, just two points of multi-mode fiber and a 10 Gig-E router.
    2. Re:Couple questions... by cpu6502 · · Score: 2

      I agree. 10 hours a day of waving my hand in front of my workscreen or phone would exhaust me. I am fundamentally-lazy and prefer to make as little movement as possible (i.e. use a mouse). I became an engineer because I wanted to find easier, simpler ways of doing things (less work) and waving my arms around like Tom Cruise in minority report is not easier. It looks very tiring.

      I've also noticed in Star Trek TNG or DS9 whenever they want to do real work, they put down the PADD and transfer the screen to a desktop (or laptop) with keyboard. It would be ideal if we could reach a similar level in curent technology where work could be freely transferred between the Phone and PC.

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    3. Re:Couple questions... by omnichad · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Well, if you were deaf, this would be one easy way to have real-time communication with someone. Getting a table mount for it would be the least of your concerns.

  3. Re:Fingerprints by hobarrera · · Score: 3, Informative

    It's not everywhere you phone is free. I purchased a Nokia N900 (it's from 2009), used, for half a months salary here. And I'm pretty much middle class as well. So I'd rather take care of it, since buying another in two years is out of the question.

  4. Same stuff, different device by Lord+Grey · · Score: 3, Interesting

    From Claim 1 of the patent filing:

    A method of controlling a portable electronic device including an image capturing device, the method comprising: detecting, via the image capturing device, motions of an object over the image capturing device; determining a type of the detected motions using timing information related to the detected motions, the timing information comprising duration of at least one of the detected motions; and controlling the portable electronic device based on the determined motion type.

    Claim 2 then says:

    The method of claim 1, wherein the type of the detected motions comprises single tapping, double tapping, hovering, holding and swiping.

    Then there is a lot of refinement, talking about edge detection, direction of movement, the usual definition of a computing device with memory, and finally kicking off predetermined actions based on recognized motions.

    But look at Claim 2: "... comprises single tapping, double tapping, hovering, holding and swiping." To me, this patent seems to be a simple extrapolation of the gestures Apple made popular with their mobile UI, with the addition of "hovering" (assuming I understand the definition of that word, here). Same gestures, different input control.

    Is there a significant difference between, say, swiping across a phone's screen and making the same gesture a few inches away? (I'm thinking that if the device interpreted motions from a larger distance then the only thing that will reliably happen is a serious of hilarious DoS attacks via interpretive dance.)

    --
    // Beyond Here Lie Dragons
    1. Re:Same stuff, different device by bigredswitch · · Score: 2

      Also sounds like the stuff from eyeSight. I used this a few years ago (on Symbian): http://www.eyesight-tech.com/technology/

      --
      After about three months of relentless Willy action I reckon I'm now as good as when I was 10.
    2. Re:Same stuff, different device by DragonWriter · · Score: 2

      Is there a significant difference between, say, swiping across a phone's screen and making the same gesture a few inches away?

      Maybe, maybe not, but this probably isn't about even "a few inches away". Look at claim 3: "The method of claim 1, wherein detecting motions comprises: receiving images from the image capturing device, each of the received images is associated with a motion of the object; determining an illumination level for each of the received images; comparing each of the determined illumination level to a predetermined threshold; and determining, for each received image, if the associated motion is a touch motion where the object touches on the image capturing device or a release motion where the object releases or stays away from the image capturing device based on the comparison." (emphasis added)

      It looks like the main focus here is to develop a system where if you have a camera with the right orientation and field of view, you don't need a touchscreen, you can use a non-touch display and still interact with it in much the same way as a touchscreen. This has the potential for lowering the cost of portable devices while providing essentially the same user experience compared to touchscreen devices.

      In addition to the kinds of devices that commonly have touch screens now, this could be used anyplace you are likely to have a display and a camera together where the additional cost of making the display touch would usually be prohibitive to provide a touch-like interface in addition to whatever existing control interface exists -- netbooks and traditional laptops (even desktop displays) would be an obvious use, giving you swipe-and-tap capability which could be convenient for more "consumptive" activities, while still keeping a traditional interface for more "productive" activities.

  5. Re:Great... by hairyfeet · · Score: 2

    At least it'll be easy to get to the customer service line of your carrier, you'll just give the phone the finger.

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  6. I hope this is just a funny joke by SalsaDoom · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Because otherwise, Smartphones and Tablets really are getting out of control.

    I thought -- and still do -- think its stupid to have a speech interface for a phone. I mean you look stupid talking to a robot woman on your phone. The last thing I want to do is start dancing in front of my phone.

    "Give me a sec, I have to do the shuffle to unlock my phone, and then the achy-breaky to open my email."

    I'm actually pretty happy with smart phone interfaces these days, just the way things are..

    --
    "Computers will never truly be free until the last windows user is strangled with the entrails of the last mac user."
  7. Your holding it wrong! by Nyder · · Score: 2

    Poor cellphones.

    At first, they were held like normal phones, up to your ears.

    Then came text messaging, and everyone was typing on a keypad.

    Then came little keyboards, so were weren't using the number pads.

    Then we got rid of the keyboards and used the screen for typing.

    Now they want us to hold the phone in front of us with 1 hand,while waving our hand (like a magician or something) in front of the phone.

    Wtf happened to using a phone like a fucking phone?

    Though I have to give props to google here, chasing a patent before everyone else, since this is the next step.

    but what happened to voice control? It's a phone, we talk into it, why not actually control it with our voice? Shit, i better get that idea patented...

    --
    Be seeing you...
  8. Re:Fingerprints by Wovel · · Score: 2

    That is excessive. I hope you are single and childless. Otherwise,you are irresponsible.