DailyDirt: The Human-Computer Interface
from the urls-we-dig-up dept
Keyboards and mice have been the traditional input devices for a lot of computer users. Recently, though, touchscreens and other devices are gaining in popularity. Here are a few more interesting examples of ways to interact with computers.- A Microsoft researcher has collected a historical gallery of devices such as pen inputs, trackballs, joysticks, etc. This isn't an exhaustive collection of input devices, but it includes some interesting artifacts -- like the OrbiTouch. [url]
- A bunch of "mixed reality" interfaces have been demonstrated where the user interacts with objects while a vision system (or some other collection of sensors) tries to interpret the actions as user input. Basically, just imagine combining Kinect with random common objects... [url]
- An artist has created a video game where the players use their tongues to control a virtual bowling ball. This "French kissing" interface probably has a bit of an "eww" factor for most gamers -- but maybe there are applications for quadriplegics. [url]
- To discover more interesting tech-related content, check out what's currently floating around the StumbleUpon universe. [url]
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: hci, hmi, input devices, kinect, kissing
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
I can't help but notice that this "historical gallery" is heavily slanted in favor of Intel based systems and omits some of the most famous or earliest examples of each category. Where's the Atari joystick? The Intellivision disc controller? The Amiga JoyBoard? The KoalaPad?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/bibuxton/buxtoncollection/detail.aspx?id=6 0
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
Well, the joystick section includes a Gravis joystick and three by Kraft, even though there was nothing particularly odd or unique about any of them. And what could be more oddball than the Joystick/Paddle combo controllers for the Bally Astrocade, the Amiga Joyboard, or the Intellivision disc controllers? What about lightpens for drawing directly on normal monitor screens, or light guns for shooting at on-screen targets?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re:
There was also a base-less joystick that you simply held in the air and mercury switches detected which way the stick was tilted. It never worked very well. :)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/05/11/009245/Creating-a-Force-Field-Invisible-Touch-Int erface
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/386015/invisible_touch_interface_creates_multitouch_f orce_field_/
for a new CHI device.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
WriteHander
One thing missing is the rat—an upsidedown trackball designed to be operated with the foot.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]