possibility within the next decade or two. Most importantly they allow
for handsfree operation. I expect devices to have eye tracking features
as well as digital overlay on the real world. Two cameras give the
headset stereoscopic view of the real world to make overlay accurate.
They also allow for finger tip recognition combined with eye tracking.
Combining all these system with fast pervasive computing and internet
connection will deliver astounding leaps in interface with electronic
environments. Users will have an extraordinary range of new interaction
opportunties, for example the interface could be purely digital without
any reference to real world objects or they could become intune with the
environment around.
Imagine a folder navigation system that appears on the leaves of a
plant. This maintains the tactility of the keyboard. A musical
instrument could be made the same way with a plant and a program that
can recognise hand gestures. People can being to seek to play objects
around them. A fern is no longer a fern but an opportunity to play with
a new interface. Perhaps the future may involve people walking over to a
house plant while wearing their AN headset and tapping on the leaves to
activate music replay. Or walking over to another plant to control the
heating system.
It's unnecessary for people to need to use plants or other objects to
interact with a future ANW workspace but humans don't live by utility
alone, otherwise we'd all own the same IBM PC. People want variety and
beauty in their computing which is why there's a cornucopia of different
designs and novelty items.
The AN renaissance is, in part, about turning back the clock on the way
we interact with our environment to a more organic feel. The utility of
the technology is vital but humanity wants more.
This sounds like a crazy idea - people choosing to use plants rather
than simply use a wholly digital workspace. It's my bias perhaps. Almost
10 years ago I answer a question on "What is the future of computing?"
asked by the now long gone winmag.com. My answer was the one that got
published. If I remember right it went along the lines of
"A wooden keyboard plugged into a flower pot with no syntax error
because it knows exactly what you mean and loves you unconditionally...."
People have always wanted more from their products than utility.
No comments:
Post a Comment