Japanese scientists prototype a gelatinous control system.
Computer users worldwide have become accustomed to the common sight of a mouse and keyboard, used in tandem to interface with an external display. Thanks to Hideki Koike and others at the University of Electro-Communications in Japan, we just might have a new way of getting hands-on with our computers.
Built around a large and flat LCD panel mounted horizontally as a tabletop, bright images are displayed on the screen the same way as with a traditional monitor and very similar to Microsoft's Surface. Where Koike's system differs is the interface - rather than a mouse, users place small transparent shapes on the screen itself.
These shapes are constructed from a transparent rubber material that is also polarised (just like sunglasses), allowing control over the display with prods, squeezes and simple movement. A camera mounted above the tabletop observes the display and the interactions of the users, and is sensitive enough to note the distortion in the rubber then apply the effects onto the display.
This was demonstrated with a simple animated face with which users could paint on, deform or move around with the rubber. Naturally the technology isn't limited to such a simple application, and could possibly be used for everything from medical uses to planning to take over the world.
The only limitation of the technology is the current camera position; mounted above the screen it demands a decent amount of space around the tabletop, and will sometimes fail to detect an input if a user's hand is in the way of the rubber. Plans for future iterations of the table include mounting the camera on the inside of the panel, which should slim down the apparatus and give it a wider reach of possible uses.
In time we might even see an OLED version of the table that comes in as even slimmer, brighter and more natural to use than before; coupled with interfaces such as multitouch we might eventually get away from the mice and keyboards we use today. Head over to New Scientist to read a little more, and watch their video of the screen in action below:
Issue: 111 | April, 2010