From science fiction to reality? The next big thing according to Mr Bill Gates and others is the shift to a more “natural user interface” The demise of the mouse and keyboard are within the next digital decade according to Gates recent speech at CES 2008 The use of highly visual interfaces, speech and hand gestures will bring new benefits in how users sort and use software and information.
To date Apples OS -X , iPhone & iPOD touch interface systems has given us a mere glimpse of how information can be visually sorted on our desktops and portable devices using existing mouse and touch technologies. The simple finger flick to browse your favourite album covers is reminiscent of browsing through album bins in old style record shops.
The mouse flick to the corner of our screen ( expose) in OSX to reveal all open docs on your desktop has become a high productivity tool for us multi-taskers.
The Microsoft table shows a version of gesture and device awareness in our homes and a glimpse at where we may be heading. While the full potential of what is alluded to in the “Minority Report” gesture system may be some way off it is not as far fetched as you may think.
Already game systems like Sony PS3 with the Eye TV camera are incorporating gestures into simple games. Mapping the user and their arm movements into the game play.
The Nintendo Wii has taken a gesture based game system to new levels, and carved out a significant share of the game console market to bring game play to the entire family via full body participation. The era of the couch potato may be soon dead if you want to interact beyond twitching thumbs. You can play virtual tennis, bowling or athletics and compete with friends via the use of the Wii paddle system and you arm and body movements.
So the next time you see someone in the street waving their arms around and talking to themselves it may not be a form of dementia, they may simply be playing a virtual game, ordering a pizza with everything or a flight to London 🙂
You may be in the minority soon.