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The Minority Report Interface is on the way (X windows style)

wearables.unisa.edu.au — MPX already supported multiple input devices. Which blows pretty much all assumptions in user interfaces (input) out of the water. (with video)

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  • trogdoor, on 10/11/2007, -3/+39The article is much more compelling than the video, it's more about implementation than feature richness and thus the demo is not very impressive and in fact downright embarrassing when compared with software like Microsoft's Surface. But the point of this is *not* to compete with Microsoft surface, that is up to the applications, not the window manager.
    • allywilson, on 10/11/2007, -4/+25I disagree, I find this incredibly impressive. Microsoft's approach was to introduce an entirely new product as well as interface (that table). This is extending the current interface, as well as providing a cheaper route to get to it. Buy a touchscreen monitor. Download the software.
      • joaob, on 10/11/2007, -2/+6You would be right if Microsoft had actually introduced the "interface (that table)".
        • cawpin, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2They did. It isn't a touch screen. It is similar to the "water on the floor" thing that was on Digg last year but the cameras are IN the table.
      • n3rrd, on 10/11/2007, -0/+9Aren't most touch screens based on regular touch interfaces? One input at a time?
      • daftman, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Microsoft implementation is to use 4 infra-red cameras. It is not the same as the others type of touch screens devices.
    • sirhomer, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1This is a pretty good video:
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ImW0-MgR8I

      I wonder how that + touchscreen would work.
      • Murdats, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3poorly, most touchscreens arent multitouch
    • folta, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4i'd rather have a big ass table.
      • gavintlgold, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Lol, I can hear the announcer in my head now
  • schestowitz, on 10/11/2007, -3/+8This isn't a new project. Here's an app that would be fantastic for demos of mpx: http://www.youtube.com/v/GkrM4ymkiDo
  • avoidance, on 10/11/2007, -5/+14While it's is important to have an open-source alternative, Jeff Han's technology puts this and Surface to shame.
    http://www.thelastminuteblog.com/2007/03/19/new-jeff-han-video-multi-touch-ui/
    • jsd8cc, on 10/11/2007, -1/+12Better video IMO, and official site: http://www.perceptivepixel.com/
    • Noctem, on 10/11/2007, -7/+12Puts Surface to shame, eh? Ever used all three, personally, for a side-by-side comparison? Didn't think so. Don't bash Microsoft's technology just because it's Microsoft and it's 'cool' to bash them. Wait until you've tried them all to make your decision.
      • mscman, on 10/11/2007, -4/+7Exactly. I personally don't like Windows or Microsoft as a corporation, but that doesn't stop me from admiring the work they've done on Surface. It truly is an innovative technology; and I hope to see it put to good use in POS situations.
    • rizla420, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3Wow, thanks for sharing that video. That was ridiculous. I dont think he's right regarding 3D manipulation though. I think if you created an input devices that you put on the tips of your pointer fingers and your thumbs coupled with gyroscopes you could accomplish some really neat 3D manipulation. To take it a step further if you were to put tips on every finger, you could type in thin air. Anyhow, very cool.
    • ngmcs8203, on 10/11/2007, -2/+2Didn't MS hire Jeff Han and his company to develop their table surface interface?
      • gavintlgold, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1No, but Apple did for the iPhone.
    • ngmcs8203, on 10/11/2007, -6/+2Didn't MS hire Jeff Han and his company to develop their table surface interface?
  • AndrewDB, on 01/10/2008, -7/+11The next generation of MS Painting has arrived folks!
    • Rojahon, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3woot! finally. Now I can take my pixel art to a whole new level!
    • SniperX, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1I love it!
      WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW
  • soulrebelpbs, on 10/11/2007, -15/+1Looks like a big iPhone
  • PunkHop, on 10/11/2007, -2/+65The video was SO not what I expected. Don't say the words 'Minority Report' unless the interface is REALLY that badass.

    This was a guy opening windows and dragging them around... scrolling, and drawing a little paint thingie. Totally unimpressive.

    Come on! We want the super badass gloves, stuff flying around, scrubbable full motion video... and precognitions!
    • TheSolomon, on 10/11/2007, -1/+8Yeah, the video was rather lame. I mean, the guy couldn't even get it to respond a few times. (Had to drag several times to get it to move, had to press multiple times before the button click would register.) This is far from impressive.

      I'm not saying it should work right 100% of the time, but when you shoot video of something, I would hope you'd at least capture it *working right* rather than capturing you making multiple attempts to get it to respond. The video should be a demonstration of it working flawlessly, not a showcase of flakiness.
    • phmfthacim, on 10/11/2007, -0/+10sometimes I can't even get X to respond when I'm using a mouse!
    • thinsoldier, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I want the table from The Island.
  • naio, on 10/11/2007, -19/+5As always the FOSS community is stealing ideas from Microsoft. Shame on you who support this!
    • sworoc, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5I dugg you down, then hesitated, then realized that you might've forgotten to put the /sarcasm tag on it. I hope you weren't serious!
    • loconet, on 10/11/2007, -1/+12ideas from Microsoft? lol, educate yourself before talking about a subject you obviously have no idea about

      Microsoft is nothing else but a marketing firm. They haven't invented anything substantial in years.

      The base technology and research is actually called Tangible User Interface developed through MIT projects in 1990s* (Hiroshi Ishii). Jeff han however took it to a whole new level adding direct applications and plain cool usability. Very cool stuff from him.

      Check out other earlier applications from videos I saw a few years ago:
      http://youtube.com/watch?v=vm_FzLya8y4
      Han's presentation http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/65
      (I want this) http://youtube.com/watch?v=iaKehq6qsdY
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5T_Srfjqbg - This one is pretty cool. Sony's Data Tiles (another joint MIT project).

      *http://tangible.media.mit.edu/projects/Bricks/

      Point is, the technology has been around for a while in many shapes and forms. Microsoft is spinning this as their invention, throw a nice shiny wrapper around it, come up with a trendy name, and dump a truck load of cash in marketing. MS stopped being a software company a long time ago. Nobody is copying anything from MS.

      • loconet, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4wow, digg's comment system sucks balls. Where did all the formatting go.
    • thechao, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Okay... first, MPX dates back into early 2006; while in theory this post-dates both Jeff Han & Surface, I don't remember any talk of these guys until about 6 mos. ago or more recently. MPX is a separate project to bring multipointer/keyboard pairs to X/Linux. Multitouch is a side-effect of being able to have multiple pointers. He actually makes an excellent point: most MT/Fiducial systems are a client-side (application-level) hack, and not fundamental to the WM itself.
  • refujee, on 10/11/2007, -10/+1It's the X WINDOWING SYSTEM GOD DAMNIT!!
  • rochester, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5And if I don't want to sit in a dark room and constantly throw shadows on the work surface????
  • altjeringa, on 10/11/2007, -4/+3not even kind of impressed. saw cooler stuff over a year ago. as with most opensource interface tools this looks cumbersome, poorly thought out and sluggish. on the other hand opensource software is not simply a cultural trend but a survival imperative so I'm happy to see the work getting underway.
    • gavintlgold, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2It's still being developed. I'm sure it will develop quickly (like most open source projects).
  • phmfthacim, on 10/11/2007, -3/+4this reminds me of how annoying X window managers are in general.

    by this I mean that they are not snappy or responsive, although I've had good results with enlightenment
    • thechao, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0Uh... my guess this is probably a result of the `DiamondTouch' technology. It requires a LOT of horsepower to do the mapping from the image to a pointer/bounding-box system; if it's not done correctly the algorithms can be O(k*n*log n) or worse! In case you're wondering, yes, I have implemented similar systems as O(n) [O(n) is the provable lower bound].
  • brycelb, on 10/11/2007, -8/+0Whoopty ***** do. This is front page material.
  • halik, on 10/11/2007, -7/+8Heh that was kinda bad, especially the map part - it looked downright buggy (the ui ignores the user's input multiple times)...
    Well it kinda works... isn't that the Linux UI motto? :)
  • xenoploid, on 10/11/2007, -2/+17Buried as inaccurate. Not the Minority Report interface, and not impressive. Surface is more impressive; and that's not saying much since Surface is likely to be pretty useless in the end.
    • mscman, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3I disagree with your statement about Surface. Yes, to home users, Surface wouldn't serve much of a purpose. Unless you're the unfriendly type who likes to charge your guests for their drinks when they come over, it would be stupid to implement it (using the current technology) in your home. However, for stores and restaurants, I think it's a great idea and has a lot of potential. Rather than risking airwave overload by using RFID tags, MS has finally come up with something that can identify objects placed on top of it.
    • Eccohawk, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Actually, I see an amazing amount of potential for Surface, and I'm frankly kind of baffled with the number of people here on digg that don't see it. Clearly, the 'Buying Food from a Menu' app would have no purpose on a home user's table, but assuming that 1) that app would be sold to a home user, or 2) that the apps used to demo the device are the only apps that will ever be developed for it... are both very short-sighted. I myself see the great potential in the simplicity of never having to find the f-ing remote again. You can sit in your living room, touch the Surface, pick a movie from your tivo or a show on tv, and start watching. or check who the actor is in the show you're watching by simply loading it up on the tabletop. I think there's a lot of potential there, and it will only be a matter of time before it's all tapped into.
      • gavintlgold, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2And now we can make Americans even MORE lazy ;)
  • rodfury, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1This is what has taken over all the technology conferences this year. Multitouch is just the basic end. They have the full hand gesture motion sensor, it still needs work as it is not that accurate.
  • Sheff, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3What is that music from?
  • virtualinvasion, on 10/11/2007, -0/+7What I've been wondering with all of these things are ergonomics. Would it be more comfortable to move your entire arm across the table for an 8 hour day? Maybe that's why Microsoft Surface is marketing towards restaurants etc...
    • thinsoldier, on 10/11/2007, -1/+0depends on what you do for a living. I'm sure most graphic artists would love to have a table sized Cintique.

      ....and world of warcraft players too probably
    • specialK16, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4Think about your neck. I saw a computer table that had the monitor below the actual top of the table, which was transparent. How awful would it be to look down for 8 hours a day.
  • trollick, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2I can already do the same. And I don't even have to touch the screen.
    • RAiNsTorm, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Really? you have an OS that can poll multiple inputs simultaneously? Nope. Didn't think so. Hook two mice up and see if you get two independent cursors...
  • Ramble, on 10/11/2007, -2/+4What is that music played?
  • dichotom, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4Wow! Now just imagine one of those setups combined with the power of a mouse!
  • gordonf238, on 10/11/2007, -5/+0If apple makes an iMac that can interface like that, no one will ever buy Windows again. Ever.
  • sExl, on 10/11/2007, -0/+7The music playing is Antony Raijekov - Lightin - http://www.ctgmusic.com/song.php?id=4691 - freely downloadable it seems. I found it pretty awesome.
    You could also have watched the video 'til lthe end, it's clearly credited.
  • PabloRosales, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0Cool! It's not MR but its a start
  • uselessexpert, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2OLD....
    Some schools here in South Florida have Smartboards that work just the same, except is a projector emitting the image...
    Check it out... http://smarttech.com/

  • exnoosher, on 10/11/2007, -3/+2Buried for over-hyped title... not even close to Minority Report interface... pffttttttt.
  • sequethin, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4haters can hate all they want - I think this is awesome
  • biff198, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5I hope the Minority Report UI never comes to be. The first time I saw that movie, once I saw him "using" the computer, I couldn't take any more of the movie seriously. He just looked so utterly retarded the way he was controlling it. Now my friends and I have a joke for things that make you look stupid: "You look like Tom Cruise using a computer..."
  • icexe, on 10/11/2007, -0/+6Has anyone thought how physically tiring it would be to use a computer interface like the one in Minority Report day in and day out? It looked like the computer equivalent of stocking shelves at the supermarket.
    • daftman, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Hopefully, by then computer geeks will actually be fit for the job.
  • RAiNsTorm, on 10/11/2007, -4/+7Digg users like to think they are so intellectual, but the truth is this *is* something noteworthy. If all you saw was a map, paint program and a web browser you are retarded. The point is that it enables *multiple* inputs *simultaneously* (that means at the same time).

    Surface can't do this, no other OS input allows this. While you can have multiple input devices, only one is used at a time. This allows multiple inputs at once. From the site, up to 18 mice at once. That means a device could be made that has never even been dreamed up before. There are tons of applications for this technology and it is important.

    Bah, it's never worth even trying on Digg... I'll be dugg down because I hurt someone's feelings and the moronic talk will continue about how poor the map moved, etc. FFS.
    • CrimsonBlur, on 10/11/2007, -3/+1You have no idea what you are talking about. Mice? Multi-touch IS multiple "mice", except there are no mice, just points of input from touch. Surface can have many, many points of input and track them all simultaneously. Hell, even Apple's multi-touch can do this.

      Have you even watched the Surface demos? Bill Gates himself has a video up where he is painting with multiple fingers at the same time with different pressure (making different lines), how is that not multiple inputs simultaneously?
      • RAiNsTorm, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4Ahh... gee yeah... I have no clue. Actually read the website and look beyond such as the screenshots link and you will see 18 simultaneous mice. I've worked on multiple OSS projects and am very familiar with this one.

        Your concept of Surface is wrong. It uses cameras for input info and they have a finite (and low) number of trackable sources. This solution is groundbreaking in that there is technically no real limit and it would be possible to have as many as one input per pixel all simultaneously. Using two fingers at the same time is not 18 simultaneous inputs or more. 1-4 inputs are easy, this is another level.
    • Tippis, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2And you know this how?
      The Surface most certainly handles multiple inputs at a time -- getting those inputs from a second (or third or...) mouse, keyboard, pen, or whatever, rather than from the surface itself is a drivers issue.
      • RAiNsTorm, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3No it is not. Surface uses cameras that have a finite limit to the number of sources they can track at once, and it is a low limit. This solution is limitless and can accept input from multiple inputs that can all even be unique, big difference. Surface can track fingers (touch), mouse/keyboard.

        People just don't get it because it is above what they are used to. This isn't about trying to use 5 inputs at once by one person, or even two... it is about allowing devices to be created that control multiple points at once truly simultaneously and apps to work with the framework to allow it to all come together. Much more than a simple driver.
  • WilliamDecker, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Enhance...enhance...enhance...
  • felchdonkey, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1I'm sorry, I didn't see the point of that. Repeating old UI conventions, but adding more mice? I didn't see any multi-touch action at all, and I certainly didn't see anything that would improve the way humans work with computers.
    • thinsoldier, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0you didn't watch the whole video
    • RAiNsTorm, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0Because this wasn't a demonstration of any of that, it was more. It was something that is hard to easily see the application of because it hasn't been done before! It isn't about adding mice, it is a framework to allow new and different devices to be made and interact with applications that can be made aware of them and do things never imagined. This is a bigger development than any on Digg have figured out yet... they are too caught up in the dumb groupthink around here to realize it.
  • Radovan, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2All I need now is a hoverboard...
  • thinsoldier, on 10/11/2007, -2/+0While that's all nice and cool and stuff. Why is it taking so long for something more useful and probably much simpler to hit the market. Why can't I use 2 mice and 2 keyboards on the same system yet?

    There are hundreds of thousands of households with multiple kids and only one computer. If the average user just needs to IM and type up a few 2 or 3 page documents every now and then I'm sure today's hardware can handle 2 people performing those basic tasks simultaneously. My 2 year old system outperforms the old X-Box but even the x-box had 2 and 4 player split screen in high end 3d games. Why can't 2 siblings use the same system to IM? Why can't a school who's "computer class" consists of only Word and Excel save money by only needing to buy half as many systems?
    • xerox1101, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2That's actually exactly what MPX is and what this demo was showing. Take a look at their page...
    • RAiNsTorm, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0There are many devices that have been around for over 10 years readily available to "split" one PC into two or more. Search the net, you will find a bunch.
  • codered1322, on 10/11/2007, -1/+0They had something like this at my mall three years ago. It was for kids and they could interact with images projected on the floor. Lame!
    • RAiNsTorm, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0Really? 18 kids could interact at once? I bet not, I bet one or two could. This is a framework to allow new devices and applications to be built.
  • CrimsonBlur, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1Considering what is already out now (Apple) or going to be in the near future (MS), I was not at all impressed by this. Not only has it been done before, but it's been done better.
    • RAiNsTorm, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2And you're still wrong. Neither Apple nor MS can do this.
  • dukeochutney, on 10/11/2007, -2/+0buried for old old old story and tom cruise films...unless u enjoy the jumping idiot
  • toxicityj, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1psh i want a freaking sick stick, not some touch interface.
    • RAiNsTorm, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1And that is the point, this will allow developers to create your "Sick stick" and the application interface to allow it to do what they want. The touch part is simply a single demonstration because as of right now we don't have much more than touch, mice, keyboards, etc. The framework has to be built first before new devices and apps can be.
  • garths, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2I've been working on multi-point interaction systems for about the last 10 years. The author is right that most research systems have been "hacked" together as a layer on top of the OS. This has been a necessity because every common operating system makes the very limiting assumption that there is only one input device. For example, if your mouse is clicked over a menu, with the menu showing, the OS will get very freaked out and probably not know what to do if it suddenly gets an event indicating a click in a completely different window.

    With the advent of the iPhone and Surface, I am hoping that the OS makers will rethink their fundamentally limited (I won't say flawed) approach to managing input.
    • RAiNsTorm, on 10/11/2007, -2/+0The folks on Digg have no clue when it comes to this stuff, it is too technical for the crowd. Key point, I'm the only one who's dugg you up since we are the only two who have grasped the concept in this whole thread. Surface and multi-touch are not a full framework for new devices and apps.
  • shadowspawn, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1@thinsoldier
    Same here. I'm not even impressed by the MS display for their new desk. WANT THAT TABLE.

    You'd think that using other objects as part of the interface would clear things up. And look cool, especially if it's glass or lead-crystal prisms/pens.
  • Veeoh, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1meh - demo wasnt impressive. too jerky, unresponsive. Nice jingly music though. Give it a few more years and it will be ok.
  • diffuze, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2Sweet. He should change the ugly wallpaper though.
    All he has to do is right-click .. oh wait..
  • kdehead, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2this is a much more impressive video - a demonstration by Jeff Hann from last year

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=PLhMVNdplJc

  • Ontario, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0This clip has been around for the last year or so....
  • gavintlgold, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2Now this with Beryl would be really great...
    • OHiggins, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I was just thinking the same thing.
  • accidental, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1Was pretty weak. Microsoft Surface put this to shame :(
  • Trat, on 10/11/2007, -2/+0It runs on Linux, so it will never go mainstream.
  • Twee, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1I like Microsoft's big ass table a lot more than this. Lame.
  • chaos7, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1i like the song also
  • wheezl, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I thought it was pretty impressive. It is currently quite seriously "in development" and it says as much on the web site. For all of the people saying things like "woah dude I totally saw something cooler last year on teh internets", none of you have included a reference to the incredible and fully functional project you are working on.

    I think it showed quite a bit of promise and I look forward to seeing the updates.

    Remember you can do us all a favor and keep shoving the cheese fries into your mouth, this way you both won't be able to type and you can STFU at the same time!!
  • nuggetz, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I think that was running off of an old Atari. At least cache google maps before you demo that POS>
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