ACM TechNews
Brain Scanners, Fingercams Take Computer Interfaces Beyond Multitouch
Wired News (09/01/08) Ganapati, Priya
Multitouch displays, which are sensitive to the pressure of more than one
finger, may be the first step toward a revolution in how people interact
with computers. The future of human-computer interfaces may involve using
neurotransmitters to help translate thoughts into computing actions,
through face detection, eye tracking, speech recognition, and haptics
technology that uses the sense of touch to communicate with the user.
"Computing of today is primarily designed for seated individuals doing
office work in the developed world," says Scot Klemmer, a co-director of
Stanford University's Human Computer Interaction Group. "If you flip any
one of those bits--look at mobile users, or users outside of the developed
world, or social computing instead of individual computing--then the future
is wide open." Klemmer says users are increasingly looking for richer
experiences from the digital world, with more seamless interactions with
computing devices, particularly in entertainment. Drexel University's
RePlay Lab is working to advance human-computer interfaces by measuring the
level of neurotransmitters in a subject's brain to create games that are
controlled by thought. The system uses the Functional Near-Infrared
Imaging Device, which shines infrared light into a user's forehead and
records the amount of light that is transmitted back to detect changes and
deduce information about the amount of oxygen in the user's blood.
Concentration sends more oxygen to the frontal lobe, meaning a gamer's
concentration can be used to manipulate the height of platforms in the
game. Meanwhile, Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute is
developing FingerSight, an interface that uses a miniature camera attached
to a fingertip, along with another device that offers feedback to the user
through vibration. As users wave their fingers, software recognizes
graphical controls on the screen and deduces the motion relative to the
controls, allowing users to turn a dial.
http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/09/brain-scanners.html
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