Saturday, January 30, 2010

APPLYING MULTI-TOUCH TECHNOLOGY

In January, at CES in Las Vegas, Think Optics introduced a combination hardware/software solution that leverages the iPhone platform as a powerful remote control appliance for entertainment electronics and/or computers.

Their presentation included a number of standard remote controls to choose from, but I responded from the "Applying Technology" perspective, because of the ability to create your own control systems.

The video clip of co-founder and CTO, Anders Grunnet-Jepsen demonstrating the product provides a great overview. Take a look. (bad video - good content)




Pretty neat.
But in the fast moving tech world; that was then.... And this is now! Heck, almost 30 days have passed. So of course, their January technology announcement is now obsolete... in a most exciting and serendipitous way.

I am imagining that Think Optics must already be working nights and weekends to get their iPhone system leveraging the full screen real estate of the iPad!

This is very significant in two ways.

First of all, if I own an iPad, I am exploring "lean back" computing... and surely I want to be able to control a lot of stuff around me as I lean back and enjoy myself.

But the more significant potential that Think Optics and the iPad provide is an immensely rich exploration platform for human interface. The combination of the multi-touch hand held device and their control creation tool, opens up many exciting possibilities... Especially because it makes control system creation accessible to the brilliant light of a billion minds!

IMAGINING APPLICATIONS
CRUSH THAT DWARF: The grand finale winners and undisputed champions of this year's "Robot Wars" competition were the "ZapWarriors" from Milford, Michigan. Their astounding performance, that totally devastated the rest of the field was attributed to the three iPad controllers they used to operate their assault robot. "well, we decided that we weren't gonna use the standard model airplane controllers we'd been using before... and it really paid off. We came up with all sorts of ways to control our Zapper robot that we'd never been able to even think about before!" said Billy Smithers, the ZapWarrior's team captain.

FOR PETE'S SAKE: Peter is a design student at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA. Earlier in the year, General Electric sponsored a contest for designing better man/machine interfaces. When Peter read an article in Science magazine about how humans respond to color cues in identifying priorities, he knew what his submission was going to be! He began to envision a control system for machine operations that was based on the color schemes discussed in the research. Two weeks later he submitted a working prototype of his idea for the contest. The award winning entry was built on the iPad using the Think Optics software.

Trying to control myself in Applying Technology - It's Theo

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Catch 22: Applying Hybrid Vehicle Technology

January 2010

Yes, I was the first kid on my block to buy the fabulous new 2004 Prius. I ordered mine even before it was named "Car Of The Year".

I Proudly received one of the very first, in the color of Toyota's choice. It has been a happy relationship, and with my diamond lane stickers that allow me access to the HOV lanes as a lone driver. This was a gift to the early adopters from the Govenator. I don't ever plan on upgrading.

However, there is a law in California that requires cars to get a smog check prior to their sixth year registration. And so, when I received my registration notice for my 2010 stickers, it came with a notice to get a smog check.

A quick Google search on "Toyota Prius Smog Check" leads to the State of California, Department of Consumer Affairs, Bureau of Automotive Repair website (http://www.ofa.dgs.ca.gov/AFVP/ToyotaPirusSmogInspect.htm). Here you are informed you that there is currently no approved technology for getting a smog check on a Hybrid. It will wreck you power plant and it will possibly electrocute the inspector. Allrighty then.

There is a help number listed on the registration notice. Sensibly, you may call this number to get help with this dilemma.

After a lengthy wait (over an hour in my case), a very nice but totally misinformed person will likely put you on hold as supervisors are consulted. After another 30-40 minutes, you will discover that there is no answer, guidance or satisfaction here. "When in doubt - shove it out"! Other phone numbers to call will be provided... In my case, some are never answered.... some never ring. None solve the problem. Another hour will have passed.

This may lead you back to the Department of Consumer Affairs, Bureau of Automotive Repair where a really nice man named Dan Burnett actually lists his phone number. Dan answers in just a couple of rings. The sun breaks through the clouds! Dan absolutely knows that you cannot get your Prius smog checked, but be does not quite know what to suggest. He is not the department of motor vehicles. "Maybe you should go to the DMV and speak to someone?", he may suggest. 1/2 day to probably no avail? Yikes. I can't do it. As the clouds close back up, and the light fades away, I look outside at my "steam punk version" of the Prius and sigh.

What is clearly needed here is a new approach! In my case this is a call to the American Automobile Association. Personally, I have been a member for decades. And since I typically own newer cars, I almost never need anything from them - until today. Will my long time investment in this advocacy group pay dividends today?

Again, a very nice person put me on hold several times as they consult their colleagues and supervisors. "Yes." they will finally admit, these calls are starting to come in now. I am the second caller this week. They have been looking for guidance from Sacramento, but there is no definitive answer for me.

I seem to be worshiping at the shrine of Joseph Heller. He wrote a great novel called "Catch 22". And here is MY catch 22 loop:

1. The State of California requires that I register my vehicle.

2. The environmental regulations require that my car must have a smog check before it can be registered.

3. The fact that my car applies a new hybrid technology means there is no available technology to DO a smog check.

4. Without that certificate, the system will not allow me to register my vehicle.

5. Go back to step 1.


As the first wave of buyers all encounter this silly loop, it will surely get resolved. Until then, the Department of Consumer affairs, The help section of the Department of Motor Vehicles, and the help line at The Automobile Association Of America will all answer with "I understand but I don't know".

My answer was simply. I sent in my registration without the smog certificate and a note that logically explains the fact that my hybrid technology vehicle must surely be exempt since it is not possible to get the certificate.

This will surely fail. I expect my registration will be rejected. I will be penalized for not being registered. I may get cited for not having tags. Sometimes you just need to roll with the punch.

Salvation will come from the rising surge of fellow early adopters, who will all run into this ridiculous loop. About the time local news picks up the story, Sacramento will deal. Until then, I will simply hop into my "old" Prius and continue to enjoy the best car I ever owned while flitting past the LA traffic in the HOV lane.

Applying Hybrid Vehicle Technology... It's all good.

Theo

Monday, January 25, 2010

APPLYING AUGMENTED REALITY TECHNOLOGY

January 2010

At Carnegie Mellon, they created a dual camera system that ties together facial recognition and eye tracking technologies.

The head worn device is currently attached to a pair of glasses. The forward looking camera is input to facial recognition software, while the rearward looking camera tracks eye movement to identify what the wearer is looking at.

Their concept was to create a system that would help the elderly, or the memory impaired by looking up the names of the people they encounter and to feeding that information back the wearer.

I like this project.

The application combines some rapidly evolving and accessible technologies into a good solution. This includes small, cheap, hi-resolution cameras that make both facial recognition and eye tracking possible. It also includes sufficient computing and graphics processing at cell phone sizes to make such a system feasible.

Certainly helping the elderly and memory impaired can be achieved with a phone-size self contained package. But, add high-bandwidth connectivity to and from massive databases and my mind immediately leaps to other applications.


Scenario: Homeland Security -
It is the Super Bowl. Intel has warned of a bomb threat. A crew of field screeners is deployed into the crowd wearing these devices. Their instincts and personal powers of observation rapidly guide their facial recognition selections. It is well established that human instinct is an unmatched algorithm for spotting anomalies. Meanwhile, a layer of Super-visors monitor and focus on the selections of the field screeners. They monitor, integrate and ultimately provide a selection of responses for likely hits. These range from additional monitoring to direct intervention. Of course, there are also very sinister implications of such a technology!

Scenario: Consumer products -
My new Nexus Nine Oakley face shield has the whole rig integrated. It is somewhat reminiscent of the "Phantom of the Opera" mask, and is fully tapped into the global human database on Google Profile. Most people I meet are "pushing" profiles, but I prefer to use the latest Profiler filter App. It quickly assembles the complete portfolio on a person from the entire webosphere and filters their profile based on the attributes that I care about. Who would have ever guessed that burqas and masks would become fashion statements as "mystique" takes over as the primary sex symbol.

Stand by. We will all be downloading and applying our first augmented reality apps very soon now!

Applying Technology - It's Theo


What Is This Blog?

This blog is dedicated to "Applying Technology".

For the past 4 decades I have been deeply and passionately involved with various aspects of the evolution of our technological world.

Sometimes I have been involved as a user; sometimes as a teacher, a marketer, a manufacturer and sometimes even as an inventor.

What has fueled my interest has not been technology itself, but rather how a technology can be applied. What benefit can it really bring to individuals, organizations and even societies? How does one integrate it into a work flow and/or into a life effectively? Can you combine several new capabilities into a whole new paradigm? What are the implications, the applications and the requisite integrations?

In this blog, I will provide a stream of interesting and intriguing concepts that will span a variety of technology areas - and always, the focus will be "Applying Technology".

I hope you can join me.

Theo