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2009년 11월 30일 월요일
2009년 11월 19일 목요일
2009년 11월 14일 토요일
[펌] The Future of Interface Design
Did you know the first “brain-tweet” was sent out this year? How about that we may someday be customizing windshields with widgets? In the not-to-distant future, we may be interfacing with computers in exciting and innovative new ways.
In the grand scheme of history, it wasn’t long ago that the first telephone conversation took place. Relatively speaking, that makes the personal computer an invention of yesteryear, and social networking only a blink of an eye later. Just imagine what’s coming in the near future…
The future of how we interact with computers is exciting to say the least. What once seemed like nonsense outside of Hollywood and Science Fiction is now starting to find it’s way into reality, and some of the technology is a bit overwhelming. Have a taste of what the future of interface design has to offer:
F/A-18C HUD by RealD
Although Heads Up Displays (or HUD’s) were originally developed for military aviation so that pilots could keep their heads up, HUD’s have found their place in many more applications. Today they can be found in many cars and in a wide variety of experimental scenarios.
Consumer Vehicles
Some of today’s cars are already offering HUD’s that display information such as speed or RPM’s directly onto the windshield. There are even helmet mounted Heads Up Displays available for motorcyclists now. So far we’ve only dabbled in the field of vehicular HUD’s though.
A patent from Microsoft reveals that the company may look into creating windshield HUD’s in cars that display all sorts of information from temperature to email. Maybe someday we’ll even have windshields with enhanced night vision, or even customizable widgets.
Eyewear
There are many new eyewear HUD products on the horizon including a pair of specs being developed by Brother, and eye-gesture glasses developed by German researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems.
Applications for these devices include navigating with augmented reality software, assisting engineers and doctors, or even something as simple as watching a movie or browsing the internet… only you get to do it hands free.
It appears that many of the newer eyewear HUD products may start emerging as soon as 2010, but the exact specifications and pricing is a bit blurry. Until then, if you’re a DIY kind of person you might be able to hack a wearable computer with a heads-up display of your own like this guy.
Gestural Interfaces allow computers to recognize natural human idiosyncrasies and actions. For example, there are quite a few gesture-based systems that decipher emotions in human faces or the “hidden” language of hand motions.
Often times, gestures act as a more seamless way to communicate with machines. For example, the iPhone bump application allows two users to exchange contact information by literally “bumping” their phones into each other. Such an action could be compared to bumping into someone, or swapping business cards, and feels more natural to the end user.
Likewise, the Palm Pre has a “gesture pad” that recognizes basic thumb swipe patterns: swipe from right-to-left to go back, throw an application off the screen to exit, or slowly drag up to bring up a global navigation menu.
You may already be aware that there are tablets that can learn your unique handwriting patterns and transcribe written text with a pen into plain text for use computer documents. What may blow your mind though is that a group of scientists have a working model of a new system that does this without the pen. That’s right, you scribble your thoughts into thin air, and a computer transcribes it into editable text.
Whatever the application, gesture interfaces that recognize human body language instead of archaic data entry are here to stay. They’re intuitive, user friendly, and it may even be appropriate to call them “fun“. Have you seen the latest iPod’s? Just shake them to shuffle your music library!
For more information, you can pick up a copy of Designing
Gestural Interfaces: Touchscreens and Interactive Devices
There have been a couple of very promising developments coming from the Entertainment industry for spatial Motion Interfaces: interfaces that translate movement captured in a three-dimensional space into inputs on a device. Almost everyone knows about the Nintendo Wii’s motion controllers. Sony and Microsoft are also hopping on board, introducing their own technologies in the coming years.
Microsoft Xbox’s Project Natal turns the user into the controller.
The PlayStation Motion Controller is Sony PlayStation’s response to market demand for a motion controller, one-upping the Wii’s Motion controller by tracking distance on top of motion and rotation. Perhaps even more exciting in the field of spatial Motion Interfaces is Microsoft Xbox’s Project Natal which uses no controller whatsoever, instead tracking the human body as the means for controls.
Outside of the gaming industry, Toshiba has been developing their own hardware that appears to be taken straight out of Minority Report. They hope that someday their technology will become more available in the mainstream markets.
Augmented
Wikitude AR Travel Guide
GPS systems, though useful, have begun to lose their luster as they find their way into more devices. What if instead of showing an overhead map of the area with an overlaying route, your GPS revealed directions directly on a live video feed of your current location?
That would be cool, huh?
Such is one of many potential applications of augmented reality systems: live views of real-world environments combined with computer generated imagery. It’s not just your imagination. In fact, some devices including a hefty number of smart phones are already finding themselves victims to AR software (Maybe you’ve heard of the Wikitude Travel Guide)
Augmented reality isn’t limited to navigation of course. There are already applications like Yelp for the iPhone that streams user reviews of restaurants over the camera feed; or Nokia’s Point and Find that allows users to find relevant information about objects simply by pointing your phone camera at it; and many other practical ideas that may become a reality in the near future.
Other
Neural Based Interfaces
Telepathy may be the works of science fiction, but with the use of new neural computer interfaces, there may be a time in the future where sending thoughts becomes common practice. It was actually earlier this year that the first tweet was sent via brain from the University of Wisconsin’s Neural Interface Lab.
Another company, Braingate, has developed a similar technology that has allowed paralyzed participants to check email, or even play a game of pong using only their mind.
The technology works by implanting a small microchip in the users brain which analyzes pulses as inputs for the devices being used. Of course, the technology is still in it’s infant stages allowing the average user to write at approximately 10 characters per minute, but the applications for such a technology are limitless. Disabled users who previously have had little or no access to email or the internet can use this technology to communicate like never before.
It is hoped that someday this technology will go beyond the trivial game of pong and even help those who are paralyzed by creating a connection between the brain and muscles where a spinal cord injury otherwise prohibits communication. Such a connection may allow paralyzed users to someday move certain muscles again, and perhaps even walk.
Voice Based Interfaces
Left: iPhone | Right:Tom Clancy’s EndWar
Vocal Interfaces aren’t exactly new, but we keep finding new applications for them. From cell phones that recognize basic commands and names, to video games that respond to speech (such as the game “Tom Clancy’s: EndWar” which can be controlled entirely by voice commands), we’ve seen some innovative applications thus far.
MIT recently developed a wheelchair with a voice interface that not only responds to speech, but also saves detailed maps in memory and can take the user to their desired location via simple voice command. Another relatively new application of voice interfaces includes Google Mobiles “Search by Voice” commands.
Last but not least, interface designers are tapping into something almost as ubiquitous as air itself: surfaces.
If you want to see a truly inspiring look of what the future may be more like, you’ve gotta take a minute to watch Microsoft’s vision of the future. If it doesn’t make you want to live in the future, nothing will.
Okay, so maybe were a ways off from this, but there are a definitely few conceptual ideas worth getting excited over. For one, CRISTAL is a smart surface that takes on the form of a common table. What’s not so common however is that this table can control many of the electronic devices in your room, such as TV’s, Sound Systems, Lights, Radios, and even DVD Players.
There’s also a group of MIT students who have developed a prototype system that could potentially turn any surface into a smart surface using a webcam and projector. Pick up a newspaper, and watch a video of the headline news directly on the paper. Need to dial a friend? Hold out your hand to let a number pad appear before your eyes. It’s a concept of course, but definitely one I could get behind.
하이얼 루
이것은..... 칭다오시 라오산취의 하이얼 루.
한국으로 치면 수원의 삼성로 정도 됩니다.
중국내에서 하이얼(Haier)의 위상이랄까, 그런게 적용된 거라고 볼 수 있습니다.
정말 하이얼의 위상은 어떤걸까요?????
하이얼이란 기업은 표면적으로 경제크키로 따졌을경우 세계 10위안에 드는 기업이라고 하며,
크기로는 중국내에서 가장 큰 규모라고 하고, 중국내 1위의 국영 기업이라고도 합니다.
그로 인해 중국 산동성의 칭다오 일대의 경제를 좌지우지하며, 이에 따라 칭다오를 먹여 먹여 살리는 기업이라고도 합니다.
칭다오라는 지역안에서는 "하이얼" 이라는 이름 만으로도 굉장한 신뢰도를 가질 수 밖에 없습니다.
가까운 지인의 경우 칭다오 거주시 자녀를 중국 로컬 학교에 입학을 시키기 위해
상담을 했는데, 그 동안의 한국인들의 행태로 인해 한국인을 더이상 받기 원하지 않는다고 말했답니다.
(참고로 중국에서 좋은 이미지를 가지고 있는 한국인들도 많지만, 별 시덥지 않는 인상을 남기는 한국인들 허다합니다.)
그래서 지인이 '이번에 하이얼에서 일하게 되었다. 그래서 자녀들을 이 학교에 입학시키고 싶다. 듣기로 이 학교가
이곳에서 좋은 학교로 알려져 있는 것 같아서 그렇다.'..등등을 이야기 하니, '아, 당신 하이얼에 다니는거냐? 그럼 입학
시켜주겠다'라고 정리가 됬답니다.
대부분 칭다오 사람들의 하이얼에 대한 이런 좋은 인상외에도, 젊은 학생들 혹은 청년들(머리가 좀 커 있는 경우라고 봐야겠죠)의 경우 하이얼에 대해 그다지 좋지 않는 인식을 하고 있는 경우도 있습니다.
너무 보수적이며, 변화할 줄 모르고, 시장경제에 대해 대응력이 없다는 거죠.
소문으로는 정부의 관계자가(정말 유명한 사람입니다.) 매년 1-2회 하이얼을 방문하며 그때마다 보조금 형식의 지원을
해준다는 겁니다. 그로인해 하이얼이 시장경제 체제에서 경쟁에 대한 의욕이 별로 없다라는 소문이 생긴 것 같습니다.
중국은 변화하고 있습니다.
일부는 여전히 공산주의하의 자유경제 체제에서 정부의 울타리 안에 거주하고 있으며,
소수의 일부는 이 체제에 대해 의문을 품고 있으며, 이로 인해 작은 변화들이 보인다는 점입니다.
그런 변화들이 얼마나 지속될 수 있으며, 그로 인해 중국 자체가 어떻게 변화 될 수 있을지는 저도 모릅니다.
겨우 2년 경험한 생활로 한 나라의 체제 변화를 어찌 알겠습니까?
여기는 칭다오인겁니다.
2009년 11월 11일 수요일
지식e / 작은 창 하나를 열어두고 싶었습니다.
역시 지식e 내용 중 1권 마지막의 에필로그 중 일부를 그대로 옮겨 적습니다.
시청자가 '주류 프로그램에 대해 기대하는 바가 무엇일까? ..... 적당한 재미와 감동, 그리고 필요한 정보 정도로 요약될 수 있다. TV를 보면서 큰 기대는 하지 않는다는 예기다. 그것이 TV이며, 그것은 옳다.
하지만 만약에 '그것이 TV다'라는 명제를 부인한다면, 다시 말해 'TV가 그것 이상일 수도 있지 않을까?'라는 엉뚱한 상상을 한번 해본다면 어떨까? 그리고 우리에게 5분의 시간이 주어진다면, 우리는 그 짧은 시간을 무엇으로 채울 수 있을까? <지식 채널 e>는 그 질무에 대한 수많은 대답 중의 하나이다.......
그 순간 자체가 아니라 그저 그 순간을 바라 볼 수 있는 '작은 창'하나를 만들고 싶었다. ......
프로그램을 만들어온 지는 1년 반이 넘었다. 5분을 채우기 위해 나머지 23시간 55분을 미련 없이 버리고 살아왔지만, 한 번도 후회해 본 적이 없다. 남들은 겨우 5분밖에 못 만나는 거짓없는 시간을 제작진은 23시간 55분 동안 마음껏, '진짜'로 누리면 살 수 있기 때문이다......
시청자가 '주류 프로그램에 대해 기대하는 바가 무엇일까? ..... 적당한 재미와 감동, 그리고 필요한 정보 정도로 요약될 수 있다. TV를 보면서 큰 기대는 하지 않는다는 예기다. 그것이 TV이며, 그것은 옳다.
하지만 만약에 '그것이 TV다'라는 명제를 부인한다면, 다시 말해 'TV가 그것 이상일 수도 있지 않을까?'라는 엉뚱한 상상을 한번 해본다면 어떨까? 그리고 우리에게 5분의 시간이 주어진다면, 우리는 그 짧은 시간을 무엇으로 채울 수 있을까? <지식 채널 e>는 그 질무에 대한 수많은 대답 중의 하나이다.......
그 순간 자체가 아니라 그저 그 순간을 바라 볼 수 있는 '작은 창'하나를 만들고 싶었다. ......
프로그램을 만들어온 지는 1년 반이 넘었다. 5분을 채우기 위해 나머지 23시간 55분을 미련 없이 버리고 살아왔지만, 한 번도 후회해 본 적이 없다. 남들은 겨우 5분밖에 못 만나는 거짓없는 시간을 제작진은 23시간 55분 동안 마음껏, '진짜'로 누리면 살 수 있기 때문이다......
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