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THIS, not the iphone/pad/whatever, is the future

Geoffrey Taucer

By Geoffrey Taucer,
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Cerrax Newbie

Cerrax

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This is just like the XBox Natal. It looks cool, but motion controls without tactile feedback are useless. Waving your hands in the air is only so accurate and I guarantee you all of these "intuitive gestures" feel very stiff and unnatural because the computer has only so much room for error.

While I think the iPad is a massive publicity stunt and its hype greatly outweighs its practicality, the gestures and other methods of input are very intuitive and if Apple would build a real tablet PC with that kind of natural control, it would really further computer technology. My MacBook's Multi-Touch trackpad is excellent and I could never go back to a traditional pad. Apple's Magic Mouse which has removed buttons and wheels for a trackpad on top, is also amazingly intuitive. I don't know who is designing their input devices, but they are the best in the industry.

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Cerrax Newbie

Cerrax

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He's comparing in-the-air motion to his Apple trackpad. Completely different control methods. I'm just providing an equally invalid comparison.

Actually if you notice all the gestures are two-dimensional, which would be just as easy (and probably easier) to do on a trackpad/touchscreen. The only exception was the 3-D drawing and again, without tactile feedback, it's not very useful. I would love to see Minority Report type computers but the simple fact of the matter is that both humans and computers rely heavily on tactile sensation to communicate with each other.

Try using the old MacBook trackpad that had the option of tapping instead of clicking a button. It was extremely unnatural and annoying. Why? Because you had no idea if you were clicking or just navigating. The new trackpad still uses a button (the entire pad clicks) which provides that necessary feedback to confirm that a button has been pressed.

The Wii is another example of why air gestures don't work. Everyone knows that the Wii's catalogue is loaded with waggleware. I know that this Sixth Sense thing is much more accurate, but it still requires humans to do very specific gestures which could easily be misinterpreted. No two people move exactly the same way. Is forcing someone to learn specific gestures natural?

Also note that even the Wiimote rumbles when you touch a button to indicate that you are indeed touching a button. It also requires you to physically press a button. All tactile feedback that, as far as they have explained it, this thing doesn't have.

I'm not discounting the technology. It's all very impressive, but it just doesn't seem practical.

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kitty Newbie

kitty

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Actually if you notice all the gestures are two-dimensional, which would be just as easy (and probably easier) to do on a trackpad/touchscreen. The only exception was the 3-D drawing and again, without tactile feedback, it's not very useful. I would love to see Minority Report type computers but the simple fact of the matter is that both humans and computers rely heavily on tactile sensation to communicate with each other.

The way computers are now yes we do rely heavily on tactile sensation. While not as a radical departure from the previous method, the invention of a mouse to interface with a computer is much different than using a keyboard only. The point of this analogy is to show that yeah it might be awkward at first but the learning curve is quite shallow. And as you've pointed out, using in-air gestures would be as easy as using a trackpad or a touchscreen. But like touchscreens, I only get a feeling that I've touched a button, (or that I've done something i.e. touch a "button" on a screen that feels the same everywhere, bring my thumb in to click etc.) I don't know which button I pressed until I see the results of that action. Performing an action such as, moving your finger towards your projection, is essentially the same as touching the screen. And not all of his motions are two-dimensional, in fact, most of the gestures are in three dimensions.

Try using the old MacBook trackpad that had the option of tapping instead of clicking a button. It was extremely unnatural and annoying. Why? Because you had no idea if you were clicking or just navigating. The new trackpad still uses a button (the entire pad clicks) which provides that necessary feedback to confirm that a button has been pressed.

Clicking is auditory feedback, hence the onomatopoeia. Why can't this device do the same?

I know that this Sixth Sense thing is much more accurate, but it still requires humans to do very specific gestures which could easily be misinterpreted. No two people move exactly the same way. Is forcing someone to learn specific gestures natural?

All the motion looked like common things. I really don't see how pinching or making a rectangle with your fingers varies so much from person to person that the device would be confused. Perhaps individuals who have a low fluid intelligence (older folks) may not be able to pick this device up and use it well within the first day or so. I sure as hell couldn't type on my iPod touch for the longest time, or even type on a keyboard at a decent WPM for several years.

And even if the device came with pre-defined rules for clicking, zooming, and whatnot, I am sure (as he stated it would become open-source) that you can define your own rules and methods for performing certain actions when you interface with your projection.

Also note that even the Wiimote rumbles when you touch a button to indicate that you are indeed touching a button. It also requires you to physically press a button. All tactile feedback that, as far as they have explained it, this thing doesn't have.

A final response to tactile feedback: I do think the feeling sense is very important, but it isn't necessary. Using a Wiimote is vastly different than what this device does. Basically, trying to mimic a specific motion versus interacting with an interface projected on a 2d surface. I don't need tactile feedback telling me I threw a virtual bowling ball down a virtual alley. I can see it, and if isn't 2 in the morning, I can hear it too. I also don't need tactile feedback when I can literally see (and sometimes hear) that I can "pushed" a virtual button.

tl;dr: ¯\(°_o)/¯

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