Touch Technology that you don't touch!

Well now that everyone is in to Touch Screen Technology, Apple decided it was time to step out its game and create a touchless screen. Yes touchless, you no longer have to put your finger on the iPod screen to start playing your music instead how about having your hand hover right above the surface. This new technology incorporates the idea of using touch screen sensors with proximity sensors. The same proximity sensor technology on proximity mines that cause them blow up if they detect motion with in its sensor range.
Apple is extremely excited about this new technology because they will now be able to perform more tasks without requiring a person to always touch the screen. A few applications they hope to gain from this are the ability to turn the iPods off without having to slid your finger all the way across. I have an iPod touch and I do find it a pain to have to drag my finger across the entire screen to turn it off. And if you mess up on sliding your finger it will rest and you have to try all over again. With this technology, Apple also wants to be able to have easy access to different components of the iPod. They are hoping to create a way to dim the screen by moving your finger above it; also they want to make it easier to expand screens but moving your fingers apart instead of sliding them apart.
How the proximity sensors is quite interesting. The sensors are actually composed of IR transmitters that disperse an IR radiation that is read by the computer to help it see anything that is hovering over the screen. The radiation particles hit the object like your finger and then bounce back and are seen by the computer. Do not worry this radiation is not going to hurt you; I know most radiation is bad but some is ok to mess with.

This new technology is really great and will hopefully make the iPod Touch and iPhone a lot easier to use. This does however bring a whole new field of touch technology which means a lot of research before we get to see anything like this on the public market. Now this does not limit the technology just to iPods it can also include computers; so we could eventually be able to wave our hands around in front of a screen and be able to control what is going on. An application like this could make building animations and engineering projects a lot less time consuming because you be able to move the item around without having to use a mouse. Well whenever this new technology comes out I recommend we all take advantage of it and use it to make our futures brighter.

Touch Table!

Have you seen Minority Report? If you just answered no, I cannot believe you even exist. Everyone must see Minority Report to understand a single thing I am going to discuss in the entry. If you have not you must immediately stop reading and go to your nearest Blockbuster and rent it. The survival of this blog depends on you, so go watch the movie.

Ok now for everyone who is still here, let’s talk about Tom Cruise’s table. As we know from the plot of the story, Tom Cruise’s character works for a futuristic police department. His division is all based off of preventing crimes from being committed. They receive help from these humanoids called precogs. In the movie you see Tom Cruise take the thoughts of the precogs and look over them to try to figure out where and who the crime is about. He uses a table to mess with the pictures and video but he never touches it. Tom uses a special pair of gloves that let him move stuff without actually physically maneuvering it. This technology is what my blog is about.

Imagine being able to have a computer that was just a table and all you had to do was put a pair of gloves on to do your homework. Well you do not have to imagine it anymore because the technology exists. It is called G-speak. It was created by a company called Oblong Industries, which the founder was actually a film science advisor for Minority Report. The G-speak actually looks quite similar to the table used by Tom Cruise. It can be integrated into almost any surface and allows for multiple people to interact with it. The way to use it is the same in the movie, put on a special pair of gloves. The gloves use similar technology to the Wii system remotes. But instead of pointing a remote you can simply point with your finger and drag things around, open folders, and even play with video clips. The system uses real-world spatial identity and positioning software for the gloves so that the computer can read when you move your hand around.

Oblong Industries has already begun to create a house that has complete G-speak technology. So you could possible go up to your mirror in the morning and have the internet pop up and be checking your emails while brushing your teeth. Then you can grab your emails and drag them down the hallway into your room. Now of course this technology is currently not available to the public just because it is still in development stage but do not worry it will be coming soon.

Brain Chips

People of this era keep hearing about how computers some day are going to think like humans. Well a researcher named Lloyd Watts is one of the leading specialists in the research and development of the brain computer that they are using to test. The path that they are hoping to get to and which they are putting the smart chips in this for is say you are talking to someone through your phone on the street and there is a loud truck that is very close near by. Without this technology the person on the other side could barely hear you let alone you hear them. What Watts was looking for is an answer for this chip to model the human brain and be able to take in information and make rational actions all on its own to overcome obstacles. The only thing they are still working on with this brain is for it to be able to handle multiple complex streams of information in real time and be able to do multiple functions at once as a human can. 

The government on the other hand is trying to use this in smarter circuitry and have a brain that can decipher different sensors at once and be able to warn troops of danger and threats. So if you think about it this brain can be the function of a commander overlooking all battles at once that could go on and move and plan accordingly. 

Space and Wonders

For all of you people who like to look up at the stars at night and wonder who else is out there this is for you. Scientists have used there high end telescopes to get a really good glimpse at one of Saturn's moon's called Enceladus. They said and from the picture you can see that there are "spectacular supersonic plumes of gas and dust" coming from the moon. They do say this this gives a very strong hint of liquid water upon the moon which is a key component to life. These scientists studied the dust and gas and found that it moved faster then the speed of sound which furthers there argument that this is water. So as a quick update to some of the star gazers we might just be one step closer to finding other life forms in this galaxy esspecially if we have good signs of water. 

GPS With Real Time Traffic

You are driving down the highway, and get lost, which is quite easy to do on today's super highways. You see on your GPS that there are two paths you can take in order to get back on track. But, what if one is packed with traffic, and the other is completely free? Is there a way to tell which one to take? Of course there is, otherwise I wouldn't be typing this. It's called the Navigon 5100, and it has the ability to give you real time traffic updates . Sounds pretty sweet to me, what about you?

The real time traffic updates are not the only thing you get from having this. You can have text to speech capabilities, which is a fancy way of saying, "it tells you the street names" and it also has lane assistant function, which tells you which is the best lane for you to be traveling in on any given day for any given trip. Finally, it has a reality view, which shows photo-realistic images of the highway interchanges, and road signs you would actually see.

Refurbished, you can get this for $99.99 on eCost.com. I suggest you get it.

Windows 7 Beta

It looks as though that Windows, annoyed by the constant complaints of Vista, will be attempting to get its newest operation system, Windows 7, out as soon as possible. It's only been a few short years since Vista was introduced to the world, but it seems Microsoft is ready to get rid of it. Reports that Windows 7 Beta will come out in early January have been increasing . A Microsoft blog said that Microsoft is attempting to get the beta out as soon as possible. It is not really certain what the new operating system will contain, but it is safe to assume that it will not contain the problems and annoyances that Vista did contain.
Microsoft has made about a dozen conferences about the new program, and have said that if you go to these conferences, you will get a DVD with the Beta version on it. Currently, Microsoft is basing its final release of "7" on the release of this Beta. They say they cannot make any more dates for release until they see how close to January they are with the current Beta release.
Many of you remember the problems with Vista, including its constant nagging, and constant asking if you want to proceed with the action. Many users became frustrated with its "security" developments, and have switched back to XP, and are now waiting for the release of 7 to calm themselves down. Personally, I didn't find Vista that bad. Now, I'm not a huge computer geek (sorry for those who are) but I do know my way around a computer. I didn't have a severe problem with the operating system. I simply had slight annoyances. So, I am still using Vista, but will probably switch to 7 as soon as it comes out.

Smart House?

Imagine, if you will, sitting in your house. You feel a slight chill. It sure would be nice to turn the heat up a bit, but you are in the best part of the movie you are watching. Who would want to get up and leave for something as unimportant as turning up the heat? Certainly not me. Luckily, for all of you lazy folks out there, there is a new technology coming on the horizon. The cell phone company Nokia, is making the ability to "call" your heater, or various other household appliances, so you can control them via cell phone.

Sounds pretty cool, doesn't it? The device is called the Nokia Home Control Center. The device is a wireless router that hooks up with other equipment around the house, to create a house controlled by a device wired to the router. It's pretty simple really. A phone is connected to a box which has different appliances connected to it. All you have to do is communicate with the box, and you can control your house. Now, you can control your house with the simple touch of a button, and never have to get up. Currently, the device is only wired for heating, but soon enough, security cameras, and other appliances will be linked to the device. The system has 6GB of storage, more than enough needed for segments of a security video.

Now, it's cool that the device will do things when it is told, but what about Artificial Intelligence? The device is working on the ability to decide things on its own. Say you go on a vacation over the winter. You leave when it is 50 degrees, but when you come back, its -6 degrees. Normally this is devastating for the pipes in the house because they can crack and freeze. What if the house recognized the outdoor temperature, and was able to heat the house, to prevent freezing? Pretty sweet, isn't it?

Many scientists are predicting that more devices will soon come onto the market to be able to "talk" to you. Imagine wanting to make a cup of tea, and suddenly, its already being made. To me, it sounds pretty good. This device is supposed to hit stores in late 2009.

Personally, I think this is quite a cool idea, but it still makes me a little worried. Has anyone seen the Simpson's Episode where the house had A.I. and it took over and started killing the family? I realize it's just a cartoon, but what if the house somehow got the ability to take over? I think it's something that we need to keep in mind. I don't especially want to die, especially at the hands of a refrigerator. What does everyone else think? Is this idea cool? Or does it warrant some apprehension. Keep in mind, though, that I was kidding about the whole "your house is going to kill you" thing. Or was I...?