Hate touching your mobile, tablet and television with wet hands? Good news, Microsoft is working on new technology that will allow you to control gadgets without having to touch the screen.
The Redmond giant is working on new ways to interact with devices. The aim is to create touchscreens that can be controlled using gestures, company’s chief scientist Rico Malvar explains.
To capture your feedback, the company has made electronic bracelets that detect the movement of one’s fingers. The person will be able to operate the device via gestures. One can also be at the other end of the room and it will still work.
This bracelet will also allow users to control the television, which means you can change channels, maintain volume, and do a plethora of other operations using your hands while wearing the bracelet. You will be able to control your mobile and tablet in a similar fashion.
In addition, Microsoft has also demonstrated some ‘interactive displays’, one of which is a ‘floating display’. These displays give the illusion of 3D sculptures such as a globe spinning or a dragon flying, which seem to come out of the displays in a 3D manner. Another such prototype lets the user ‘touch’ those emerging objects.
These displays will be laced with a camera, which will make it possible to detect users and their movements.
Microsoft does use Kinect technology in its gaming consoles. Not only does Kinect register body movements, but it also listens to the voice commands. Microsoft has deployed several such technologies in the past and it will interesting to see how these things shape out. We do know that Microsoft had its eyes on Google Glass as well. Earlier in the year we saw it working on smart-elevators. Evidently, Microsoft Research is indeed actively working on innovating and exciting projects.
Can’t wait for it? Well, according to Tim Large, a researcher from Microsoft Applied Sciences Group, the final version of these displays will be ready in two to five years.
Further reading: Microsoft, Microsoft Research
