Future - Sunday, July 27, 2008 20:40 - 0 Comments

Almost at the Minority Report event horizon

With all the iPhones and iTouches floating about (and the hordes of copycats coming), as well as new touch-screen computers like the HP Touchsmart, we’re beginning to learn to use our hands to interact with technology.

Beyond the physical touching of a screen, we’re also being trained to move in physical space to affect a virtual thing: for example, if you attached a Wiimote and PS3 SIXAXIS controller to my arm, and fastened it with duct tape, I’m able to point at an electronic eye and change the rotation (on six degrees) of what’s happening on the display. Granted, the display isn’t quite yet a hologram, but hey, give it time.

Then there is the issue of interactive art and game titles that use the Playstation Eye camera– simply moving in front of the camera can move fish, ambient art, birds, and monster through their native environments.

We’re a ways off from having wearable technology in a way that’s socially acceptable– one of the biggest hurdles in the adoption of new technology (and trust me, I own a Segway, I fully get the trainwreck that is the collision of awesome technology and ridiculous form factor).

Finally, there’s voice recognition, something the owners of GM cars equipped with OnStar are familiar with. Speaking “Call” or “Dial” aloud forces the system to engage in two separate behaviors: getting ready for an address book request, or getting ready for a series of numbers.

The event horizon is here, more or less.