Using Magnets To Interact With Your Tablet

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Using Magnets To Interact With Your Tablet

Posted by timothy on Tuesday October 30, 2012 @05:14AM from the I-mostly-use-gravity-instead dept.

An anonymous reader writes with this snippet from MAKE's blog: "Tangible interface designer and inventor Andrea Bianchi, along with his colleague, Ian Oakley (University of Madeira / Carnegie Mellon Europe), have come with a novel approach to interacting with a mobile device. Using the magnetometer built into most modern smartphones, Bianchi and Oakley have created a series of tangible user interface demonstrations that go beyond what's achievable with capacitive touch displays."

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It's 2012 by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-30 05:18 · Score: 3, Funny

And we still don't know how they work...
1. Re:It's 2012 by UnknownSoldier · 2012-10-30 06:23 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  Uh, you DO realize that there is *infinite* knowledge right? ;-) That should not be interpreted as a negative, but as a positive -- we will ALWAYS have something neat to learn about the Universe and ourselves!
  Just because Scientist don't have a clue what causes gravity, causes magnetism, what happens when you travel faster then the speed of light, still ignorant of white holes, still haven't discovered the 2 remaining fundamental forces doesn't mean that someday we won't. As long as we are progressing towards removing the (remaining) holes of ignorance in our entire knowledge base that is good.
  Besides, learning how we discovery the answers is far more important then what the answers are themselves. :-)
2. Re:It's 2012 by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-30 06:52 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Some clowns will never understand :)
3. Re:It's 2012 by sithlord2 · 2012-10-30 07:09 · Score: 1
  
  That should not be interpreted as a negative, but as a positive
  
  I see what you did there...
  
  --
  ...You are over-qualified and under-paid. If we give you a raise, we will break the cosmic balance of the universe.
4. Re:It's 2012 by K.+S.+Kyosuke · 2012-10-30 07:47 · Score: 2
  
  still haven't discovered the 2 remaining fundamental forces
  If you know for sure that there are exactly two of them, why do you call them undiscovered?
  
  --
  Ezekiel 23:20
5. Re:It's 2012 by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-30 14:31 · Score: 1
  
  You got all that from "Europeans discover American Indians"?
6. Re:It's 2012 by Bitsy+Boffin · 2012-10-30 22:51 · Score: 1
  
  "Uh, you DO realize that there is *infinite* knowledge right?"
  Hmmm. I wonder if that is the case actually. Seriously, IS the conjecture that there is infinite knowledge provable, or is it possible there is a finite but very large amount of potential knowable things.
  
  --
  NZ Electronics Enthusiasts: Check out my Trade Me Listings
7. Re:It's 2012 by UnknownSoldier · 2012-10-31 06:52 · Score: 1
  
  I am sorry you don't have basic reading comprehension skills. I was only using them as an _example_. I know many things about the past and future that have yet to be (re)discovered; I was simple explaining _why_ I use the term discovered.
8. Re:It's 2012 by UnknownSoldier · 2012-11-01 13:30 · Score: 1
  
  You will want to start with Godel's Incompleteness Theorems:
  * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_incompleteness_theorem
  * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6del's_incompleteness_theorems
  There will always be things unprovable (but knowable), hence infinite knowledge.
  QED.
I used to... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-30 05:20 · Score: 1

Shove magnets up my dog's butt.
The Point by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-30 05:20 · Score: 1

I thought the point of having a touch device was to get away from interface indirection through accessories?
Video Link by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-30 05:25 · Score: 2, Informative

The video in case it gets /.'ed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BDqOXpkDoQ4
Suggest apps to try this with? by balaam's+ass · 2012-10-30 05:26 · Score: 1

Can anyone suggest any sample apps that will make use of an internal magnetometer?
1. Re:Suggest apps to try this with? by MozeeToby · 2012-10-30 05:28 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  https://play.google.com/store/search?q=compass :-)
2. Re:Suggest apps to try this with? by arctus · 2012-10-30 05:33 · Score: 2
  
  The first thing that occurred to me was games for children who may be too young to interact with only a touchscreen.
  
  I mean, if you can make anything an input device regardless of whether it has a circuit in it, I guess you can dream up a lot. I'm just not brainstorming well today or something.
3. Re:Suggest apps to try this with? by Aardpig · 2012-10-30 12:18 · Score: 1
  
  Mmm, young children and magnets. Can't see anything wrong with that.
  
  --
  Tubal-Cain smokes the white owl.
4. Re:Suggest apps to try this with? by arctus · 2012-10-31 02:08 · Score: 1
  
  Make them too large to swallow I guess /buckyballs
Re:Prior Art by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-30 05:27 · Score: 1, Funny

Excuse me, but real programmers use butterflies.
Ironic by arctus · 2012-10-30 05:29 · Score: 1

So we make touchscreens so we can use only our hands for natural interfaces....and then create things to put in our hands again?
1. Re:Ironic by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-30 05:37 · Score: 1
  
  In two years we'll all be using a stylus with a tiny touchpad on the end, and the tablet will balance on a trackball.
2. Re:Ironic by Spy+Handler · 2012-10-30 05:38 · Score: 1
  
  seems to have worked for Samsung Galaxy Note with the plastic stylus...
3. Re:Ironic by arctus · 2012-10-30 05:47 · Score: 1
  
  That's right, I remember my mother-in-law saying she really wanted the Note for that exact reason.
  
  It'll be interesting to see if more physical interface/touchscreen options gain popularity.
4. Re:Ironic by kelemvor4 · 2012-10-30 05:48 · Score: 1
  
  seems to have worked for Samsung Galaxy Note with the plastic stylus...
  The multitude of companies making money selling cheap styluses for other android and apple touchscreen devices are also doing it.
5. Re:Ironic by smi.james.th · 2012-10-30 05:55 · Score: 1
  
  How does the stylus work though? I've tried it on other devices and their touchscreens don't respond at all...
  
  --
  One thing I know, and that is that I am ignorant...
6. Re:Ironic by jellomizer · 2012-10-30 06:05 · Score: 1
  
  We can't have cool for the sake of cool. OK I can't think of any practical use. It doesn't mean there will never be one. Just shoing it can be done, allows for imitation to start on how to use it.
  
  --
  If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
7. Re:Ironic by JackAxe · 2012-10-30 06:35 · Score: 1
  
  It's a Wacom stylus, which uses what's called EMR (Electo-Magnetic Resonance)** to track the stylus, which is why it doesn't work on other devices -- most of which are just capacitive.
  
  **Here's a link to nerd out on;
  http://www.wacom-components.com/english/technology/emr.html
8. Re:Ironic by arctus · 2012-10-30 06:38 · Score: 1
  
  I think I should have used a /sarcasm at the end of my post, it was mostly meant in humor. I think there's definitely potential, but you have to admit the irony here.
9. Re:Ironic by sumdumass · 2012-10-30 08:23 · Score: 1
  
  Quiet. You will give Apple and Idea and they will produce a product then patent a circus on a phone or on a tablet. Then all the geeks will demand on as soon as their old stuff gets 2 months old.
10. Re:Ironic by sumdumass · 2012-10-30 08:29 · Score: 1
  
  Interestingly, this might be a practical thing. It was about 40 degrees F in my areas yesterday. The girl working the outdoor market had to keep removing her glove to use the touch screen on the register and even then, the cold caused it to not function as effectively as she was used to it. A magnetic stylus (if it was compatible) would have been ideal for her in that specific type of situation. Rubber pads on the gloves solved the issues with trying to count money and this was the only other reason she needed to remove them.
11. Re:Ironic by CCarrot · 2012-10-30 08:29 · Score: 1
  
  seems to have worked for Samsung Galaxy Note with the plastic stylus...
  The multitude of companies making money selling cheap styluses for other android and apple touchscreen devices are also doing it.
  Sure...if you like writing with a squishy crayon. I prefer my pens actually pointy, k thx.
  
  --
  "I love animals! Some are cute, others are tasty, what's not to like?" - Betsy Schroeder, Jeopardy contestant
Magnets by Alapisco · 2012-10-30 05:47 · Score: 1

Fucking magnets, how do they work?
1. Re:Magnets by ChefJeff789 · 2012-10-30 06:54 · Score: 1
  
  I think he's secretly Magneto. He's the only one I know of who can control electromagnetic field strength and direction, which is generally described by a field effect of electrical charges, both in motion (magnetic) and at rest (electric). Of course, Science may tell us something different, but the Marvel Universe and Science don't generally agree well. I'll take the Marvel Universe any day...
2. Re:Magnets by wonkey_monkey · 2012-10-30 07:03 · Score: 1
  
  Indeed. Magnets reproduce by binary fission.
  
  --
  systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
Re:Link to sample app? by ti-85 · 2012-10-30 06:31 · Score: 1

Under the hood?

Check out Magnetometer
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/magnetometer/id342782714

Probably one of my favorites.
But what about Magnet Radiation ? by john.willis1 · 2012-10-30 06:41 · Score: 1

Space 1999 blew up the Moon with radioactive Fusion waste on the dark side and "Magnetic Radiation". Funny I know.. but there actually is an Oersted effect that influences the hemoglobin molecule in blood. We don't live within range of a Magnetar (Stellar Corpse with Teslas of magnetic energy) but you get the idea. A funny mental picture is "you" glued to your touch pad because you can't get your fingers off the magnet "surface".
Re:FUCKING by doti · 2012-10-30 06:54 · Score: 1

Aliens!

--
factor 966971: 966971
Useful while using laptops near high field magnets by vigour · 2012-10-30 07:01 · Score: 2

I used to use the magnetometer in my HTC Legend to measure the field outside a 5 T superconducting magnet. Of course I had proper magnetometers in the lab, but it was convenient being able to use my phone.
Some of the relays in a device I used were very sensitive to magnetic fields, plus I didn't the HD in my laptop to get screwed up. It was linear up to +/- 2 mT which was enough for a solenoid type superconducting magnet (i.e. the normal kind), and it allowed me move my devices closer to the magnet, and shorten my cables.

Very useful indeed.
Blood Sucking Tablets by john.willis1 · 2012-10-30 07:23 · Score: 1

"To get an idea of how strong those fields are, if you were 1,000 miles away, they could rip the iron from your blood," Palmer said, pausing briefly. "These things are best studied from a distance," he added. http://www.santafenewmexican.com/HealthandScience/LANL-scientists-seek-magnetars--secrets
Re:Link to sample app? by PNutts · 2012-10-30 07:29 · Score: 1

Stud finder: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/studfinder-emf/id444985057?mt=8
Inductive charge anyone. by epSos-de · 2012-10-30 11:26 · Score: 1

This is great for round based games. The magnets could be great input devices, but what about the loss of memory and inductive charging ?

--
~ Best man at your service.
Magnets and displays, was a no no by Nyder · 2012-10-30 14:06 · Score: 1

I was brought up that magnets and displays don't go hand in hand. Of course, for most my life the displays were CRT based.
So this is pretty cool, imo.

--
Be seeing you...
Re:Prior Art by davewoods · 2012-11-01 05:22 · Score: 1

AC forgot to say "Obligatory XKCD"