May 5, 2007 11:00 AM PDT

Making 'Minority Report' computer navigation a reality

Making 'Minority Report' computer navigation a reality
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Future PlayStations to read hand gestures

December 1, 2003
BOSTON--Remember the Minority Report scenes in which Tom Cruise and others use their hands to manipulate data on giant computer screens?

One man is on a mission to bring that gestural interface technology to every personal computer.

John Underkoffler, the founder and chief scientist of Oblong Industries, gave a talk called "Cinema, Science and Innovation" on Friday night at the Museum of Science here.

"The mouse has had a good run, but it's time to say good-bye," Underkoffler said.

His company has an operating system, based on human hand gesturing, that enables the user to explore in a 3D plane. The system responds to the pitch, roll and yaw movements that come naturally to the hand and works with cameras that track the positions of targets placed on gloves.

"We really want to get this on every desktop, and that's what we are going to focus on doing until we either go out of business or (until) the next plane trip you take, the woman sitting next to you opens up her laptop and starts doing this," said Underkoffler, gesturing with his hands.

Underkoffler was inspired by his work as the science and technology adviser to Steven Spielberg for the film Minority Report. The team created the futuristic Washington headquarters portrayed in the film. When it came to the gestural interface, the production team's research and development came just shy of actually building it, according to Underkoffler.

"What had started in an academic environment passed through the Hollywood environment and back. Which means it's just like the movie, but it really works--which is really better," he said.

Famed Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Bill Mitchell, director of the Media Lab's Smart Cities research group and Underkoffler's mentor, said he is not surprised at Underkoffler's progress.

"Of everyone I know, John has the most profound understanding of how imaginative projectionism of the future in film affects real-life expectations of the future," Mitchell said as he introduced the Oblong founder, who received his Ph.D. from MIT.

"Sometimes the filmmakers--the science fiction writers--imagine stuff before the engineers do, and there is a feedback loop between fiction and science that seems to be influencing each other," Underkoffler said.

Oblong could create applications for air traffic control or for groups visually disseminating large and complicated data sets. Microsoft has also been experimenting with gestural interface through its TouchLight technology.

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Add a Comment (Log in or register) 19 comments
Goodbye to the mouse? For this?
by Sparky672 May 5, 2007 11:45 AM PDT
Quoting: " 'The mouse has had a good run but its time to say
good-bye' said Underkoffler. "

Really? Not quite yet if your new system still requires one to put
on a glove every-time they want to pop over to the computer to
check their email.

And forget about anything that would require you to hold up
your arm for extended periods of time. How many minutes can
you hold your hand in front of a screen? Maybe with your elbow
on the desktop? Try that for 8 hours.

I'm sure his system could eventually evolve into something
practical someday, but the way it's described in the article it's
hardly ready to be replacing the mouse.
Reply to this comment View all 2 replies
Just read Asimov
by joshuaguttman May 5, 2007 9:26 PM PDT
The I Robot and Foundation series are litter with technological ideas, especially gestural control of computers.
Reply to this comment
Article Out Of Date
by bobbydi May 5, 2007 9:42 PM PDT
Some computer functions can be controled by eye movements. Why raise a hand when moving an eye can to the same. I pass on taking the time of putting on a glove, if they ever make one. Sometimes I think news.com.com is good only for some to fish for investment capital, like in this article.
Reply to this comment
Agreed
by 8ball629 May 5, 2007 11:33 PM PDT
Moving my cursor from one corner of my screen to the opposite requires a movement of about 4 inches so I only have to move my mouse about 20-25% of the length that my cursor moves and that is justified by a variable sensitivity.

If you use your hand, you have to move the full length and your arm is extended. I can see this as being something useful on 100" panels in the future for home entertainment or business applications but this will definitely not _replace_ the mouse because it doesn't need to be replaced.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it - right?

I like the idea and I would love to play with it but please don't take my mouse from me ;).
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Technology is Evolutionary
by SiXiam May 6, 2007 10:10 PM PDT
Technology is Evolutionary, not revolutionary:

You don't go from helicopters to anti-gravity, it just doesn't work like that...

Think of the mouse...

1) 1 button w/ ball

2) 2 button w/ ball

3) 3 button w/ ball

4) 2 button + scroll w/ ball

5) 2 button + scroll w/ optical

6) optical 'button' w/ optical

Meaning: My guess is soon we are going to have a little optical sensor on top of the mouse that can register finger movements...

I will not wear a glove...
Reply to this comment
Brainpad
by Blito May 7, 2007 4:51 AM PDT
That's nice but it's not "going to be on every desktop' just like every other gimmick input device.
Reply to this comment
Incorrect ownership of this idea
by shanx24 May 7, 2007 5:38 AM PDT
Other users have mentioned some academic examples of the idea. I also know of two companies that have been doing gestural navigation for at least a couple of years in commercial executions, if not more:

1. GestureTek
2. Ubiq Window

Google for both. Claiming to be the inventor of a technology that has already been out there for a while is shameful. CNET editor, please consider editing the story to leave out bits that proclaim that this is an invention of this team.
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Technology is now
by jerrellt May 7, 2007 12:26 PM PDT
Has anyone considered the "kiosk" interface for desktop systems? There are plenty of touch screens used right now for infomation booths and photo machines.

Just develop an LCD/flat panel for touch screen apps and people could use fingers to point and click directly on the screen. This could be used in cojunction with the keyboard for data entry.

I know the screens will get icky and dirty (just don't eat cheetos when you need to use the pc)-lol.
Reply to this comment
see also Perceptive Pixel
by FratkinM May 7, 2007 2:17 PM PDT
FastCompany ran an article about Jeff Han's Perceptive Pixel invention back in February. http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/112/open_features-canttouchthis.html
Reply to this comment
see also Perceptive Pixel
by FratkinM May 7, 2007 2:17 PM PDT
FastCompany ran an article about Jeff Han's Perceptive Pixel invention back in February. http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/112/open_features-canttouchthis.html
Reply to this comment
Less than pertinant
by sarreq May 8, 2007 2:18 PM PDT
Call me a massive geek if you want, I know this is very much not a pertinent fact, or not entirely related, but Minority Report is definitely not the first SciFi anything to show a gestural computer interface, there's also Earth: Final Conflict for one, which was several years pre-Minority Report, where the little shuttle pod things (haven't watched it in a while) use a gestural interface for flight and weapon controls.
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