Technology Diamondtouch + Projector phones

Just to make sure that i wasn't going crazy and confusing the technology with 3D holograpic touch technology i checked out projector touch screen.

This version created by MERL [Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories] is a little bit more sophisticated than i need. What they created was technology that was able to recognise the users hand and have various people using the screen at the same time.

The only thing that i was intrested in was that the 2D image was projected onto a white table, and was able to be manipulated by peopls hand gestures.

I also have a sneaking suspicion that it is already commercialy viable where as microsoft's surface is still not. to have a read the site i got the information off is...

http://google.about.com/od/experimentalgoogletools/ig/SIGGRAPH-2007/MERL-DiamondTouch.htm

Another intresting development that i found in the world of technology that is applicable to my design is the development of projector phones. These phones contain projectors that are the size of matchboxes, the first example of one created and showcased is one by a chinese company CKING, a very ugly and chunky candy bar phone, but the technology seems to have come off the drawing boards and into reality. BUT it's commercially available so the technology is mature enough to be produced en mass.

This is definatly a development that benefits my design as it means in 5 years time that the size that the whole device is is limitless really.

Once again the website for that one is.... http://www.symbian-freak.com/news/008/06/the_worlds_first_commercially_available_projector_equipped_phone.htm

It's promising technological advances... that really lend them selves to my design.. pity they design my project for me.

Reasearch: is it reality?

I went searching on the net for information on holographic touch screen technology, i wanted to put to bed doubts as to whether it really existed and was feasible or not in 5 years time... what was being done now? So i looked around and found some really amazing stuff.

1] the technology exists... someone even has a patent out on it. The link for the specs are as follows.

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6377238.html

Bit dry and boring but pretty much what it is saying is that touch screen holographic technology exists!

2]I found other peoples applications for the technology... because if there is insufficient interest in a technology it won't get funding or flourish.. this would be a problem. In 5 years time the technology would be the same as it is today, but according to this site they are thinking of marketing applications which is great because that is a great industry motivation to develop a technology to use. The site also has some technical explanations on how it works.

http://www.kioskmarketplace.com/article.php?id=13688

It is more concerned with 3D holographic display.. I'm really only interested in 2D but if 3D is available then i don't see any problem.

There is a bit of an explanation on how it works...

Image display = "The optics module is the heart of OPD's display system. It collects light from a target source inside the unit, then directs the light through the optical system, focusing the light rays in the space out in front of the display. At the point where the light rays converge on the focal point, the optical system creates a 3D image of the object."

Touch Sensor = " The infrared detector scans the plane of the holographic image to detect the intrusion of a finger into the desired portion of those images. It then identifies the selected number or symbol and transmits that selection from the equipment's internal software. Basically, the infrared emitter points at the area of the hologram and tells the kiosk which letter or number was pushed."

Other advantages of the technology is that, "the actual hardware for the system is a sealed box containing a light source, the infrared beam and a plastic 5-by-5-inch plate bearing the image to be projected." So it is very durable as there are no moving parts to become damaged.

I also found some Youtube clips that illustrate the point that it is out there and can be used...

Minority report style 2D touch screen interface

I think that the sensors for this one are based on holographic technology, but the screen is not.

3D holographic touch screen Demonstration

Touch screen interface Demonstration

[The last clip is really long... but interesting]

The last clip is more to do with the interface of using technology but i think that it is still important to put down here as it shows a potential interface for holographic touch screen technology. I can see both of these technologies merging... [if they have not already] and becoming something that is so easy to use and yet really just something intangible.

New Technology as easy as a cup of coffee?

I must admit that currently I'm only looking and browsing Yanko esign, so please forgive me for posting ups so much stuff from it. I think that it's my current obsession because it is filled with what i like to term 'fantasy objects'. Objects that are cool and have been designed but don't currently exist in functioning form [but hopefully will in the future].

I was specifically looking for new technologies that might be popular in 5 years time, that would be applicable to a working GenX dad, this caught my eye.

It's 'creatively' called "The Cup" and the creators seem to think that it is intuitive that your information is stored in a cup and that spilling the contents is how you share the information it contains..ummm what? I must say that spilt coffee isn't to me sharing information, it's not a positive thing its a negative thing. Stacking Cups do not collect information... it collects more grime... and means that i have to wash them, again a bad thing.

I love the fact that they are trying to integrate new technology in a quirky way, but i think that the metaphor that they decided to use was inappropriate. How does information = coffee? Trying to get my head around it but its not really connecting... also what about if someone mistook 'The cup' for a real cup... i doubt that it would be able to survive real coffee. From the comments that other people left everyone else seems to think that its lame. I must say i quite like it... minus the cup bit.

The technology of 'the cup' holographic touch infrared communication, it's very interesting, the information can be displayed as small or large as you want. I wonder how lighting affects the resolution of the image, and more importantly if this technology even exists. I think i will go hunting around for more information about it...

My verdict on 'the cup' interesting technology, inappropriate application. I'm not sure why they seemed to want to put the whole cup motive in, but i think it's a little confusing.

But it's very very interesting, going to keep searching for more information on this technology.

Link if you were intrested:
http://www.yankodesign.com/index.php/2008/05/27/cup-of-java-script/