Simon Woodward
We have also looked into aspects of Augmented Reality, and have found some useful information that confirms some of the points made previously.
Continuing the theme of humans interacting with machines (computers) in more advanced technologies and techniques, we have been looking into new technology from Microsoft, in the form of Mircosoft Surface.
Microsoft Surface is a unique system based around a glass-topped table (which is a touch and object sensative display screen) that in effect becomes an augmented reality "hub" for all users interaction, completely removing the users traditional input via a keyboard or mouse, replacing it with the use of the humans hands to mimmick the way in which they would interact with specific objects in real life, and giving them a virtual output.
The videos on the Microsoft Surface website show how this would be achieved, and in one of the best examples, the user places a digitial camera upon the table top, which is then recognised as a digital imaging device, and the photos from the camera are then displayed in a "fanned out" effect across the screen. The layout is representative of what a real table may look like if real photos were feathered around on top of it. The user then interacts with these photos, using only fingers and hands, by dragging, pulling, moving, strecthing and modifying the photo's layout, placing, size, order etc. It is blurring the line between how a user would interact with real life objects and how they would interact with the same objects in their digital format on a computer. In fact, this technology goes as far as to completely remove this line that defines the two activities as seperate entities, making the digital experience as much a part of real life as its more traditional counterparts.
See the videos "The Possibilites", "The Power", "The Magic" on the Microsoft Surface website - http://www.microsoft.com/surface/index.html
All the videos on the website show off the stunning power and future technology of Surface.
These exciting and ground breaking technological advances strengthen the points made previously, about the "paradigm of desktop computing" be broken by users interacting with machines and computers in a way in which no prior or advance knowledge of the technology is needed. This is shown in its prime by the example discussed earlier regarding the photos being displayed on the "screen" (table top) - a user who has no knowledge of computers (or a limited knowledge, but only basic) who may not have a strong idea of how to manipulate/organise digital photos on a computer would find it emmensly easy using the Surface technology because all they would have to do would be to organise the photo's how they would in real life. If they were sorting through a collection of photos in real life (from a photo album etc) then it is higly likely they would infact use a real table top surface to lay all the photo's out, change their ordering, move them into piles for keeping or throwing away etc. It incorporates and mirrors the traditional actions and processes, and also adds extra advancement and features (being able to then manipulate the photos to a greater extent) - so it provides an overwhelming bonus.
To a greater extent, the outcome and purpose of this technology is to minimise the level of step-by-step un-natural interaction that a user has with a computer in order to complete a task. The less interaction that needs to take place, the more adapatable and useable the technology becomes by a much wider audience. Organising photos by using only intuitive natural processes and responses is much easier and quicker than having to then link these processes and responses to a set of computer-input interactions.
Another fascinating look at VR comes from a company called EON Reality, who use state of the art technology to step away from the traditional forms of communcation, into a more augmented state. They use a mixture of 3D displays, super-imposed video and intuitive interaction (similar to that used within the realms of Micrsoft Surface) to prove outstanding data communcation which really does set the pace for future and emerging technologies.
The video linked below shows a quick demonstration of how a 3D projected render of a man at a conference/event can be used to give a speech/talk - from anywhere in the world - yet still have his human presence felt in the room.
http://www.eonreality.com/products_teleimmersion.html
EON also have some extremely interesting ideas on VR and how humans interact with it. They want to step away from the more commonly accepted notions that VR must have the associated use of a user headset or other aids, by delving into immersive 3D by "floating" the content in an area of space, letting the user interact with whatever is infront of them, simply by using their hands. This links back to the Micrsoft Surface technology, and even takes it a step futher, because where the Surface system would require you to have some sort of touch based interaction with the table-top surface, the EON technology is completely touch free, literally letting the user control the content in mid air. In terms of the photo-organising example from the Surface video, this would mean that the users photos would be projected onto a screen (like Surface) BUT the user would simple place their hands in appropriate positions in the air space in front of them to move the photos around and organise them etc.
A video of the EON technology in action can be viewed here -
http://www.eonreality.com/products_3dholodisplays.html
We think that the EON technology would be harder to adapt to in the first instance because it is still considered an "out there" technology. It is also less representative of how a normal user would interact and operate with objects in the real world. Again, to use the photo example, - a user would be able to pick up the operation of the Surface technology a lot faster because of the way in which it more directly mimmicks the actions of real life (moving the images with your hands) where as the EON technology requires no hands on interaction, and whilst this technology is very impressive, it may be considered one step ahead of its self when trying to increase the user friendlyness of systems. Non-familiar users would be less inclinded to instinctively and intuitively use the in-air EON system than they would with the Surface system which is much closely linked to the traditional operation.
However, as the speed of technology grows faster, we think it is quite likely that the relation between the "traditional" methods of operating and performing day to day tasks to that of performing them in VR, will become somewhat irrelevant because the emerging technology will become familiar - it will become the traditional way, as the times change and move forward. Users will be familiar with not having to touch or physically interact with a system - these actions will become memories of the past.
The affordance of using this future technology would most likely be intuitive because it will be a non-command interface. Going back to the Microsoft Surface technology, the digitial photographs affords moving and arranging by touching. But in the future, like automatic doors, this raises issues with usbaility and HCI testing for this technology, where it will be difficult to define how to test the HCI suitability. The photos will no longer afford physical feedback, only visible (seeing the photos moving). In terms of Synchronous and Asynchronous environments, the Surface technology would be synchronous technology because it will be instant interaction and feedback with devices and techonlogy i.e. instantly placing your digital camera device on the Microsoft Surface table and then digitial photos being displayed. You no longer have to download the photo's from the digitial camera and then display them, they automatically appear.
We have also looked into aspects of Augmented Reality, and have found some useful information that confirms some of the points made previously.
Continuing the theme of humans interacting with machines (computers) in more advanced technologies and techniques, we have been looking into new technology from Microsoft, in the form of Mircosoft Surface.
Microsoft Surface is a unique system based around a glass-topped table (which is a touch and object sensative display screen) that in effect becomes an augmented reality "hub" for all users interaction, completely removing the users traditional input via a keyboard or mouse, replacing it with the use of the humans hands to mimmick the way in which they would interact with specific objects in real life, and giving them a virtual output.
The videos on the Microsoft Surface website show how this would be achieved, and in one of the best examples, the user places a digitial camera upon the table top, which is then recognised as a digital imaging device, and the photos from the camera are then displayed in a "fanned out" effect across the screen. The layout is representative of what a real table may look like if real photos were feathered around on top of it. The user then interacts with these photos, using only fingers and hands, by dragging, pulling, moving, strecthing and modifying the photo's layout, placing, size, order etc. It is blurring the line between how a user would interact with real life objects and how they would interact with the same objects in their digital format on a computer. In fact, this technology goes as far as to completely remove this line that defines the two activities as seperate entities, making the digital experience as much a part of real life as its more traditional counterparts.
See the videos "The Possibilites", "The Power", "The Magic" on the Microsoft Surface website - http://www.microsoft.com/surface/index.html
All the videos on the website show off the stunning power and future technology of Surface.
These exciting and ground breaking technological advances strengthen the points made previously, about the "paradigm of desktop computing" be broken by users interacting with machines and computers in a way in which no prior or advance knowledge of the technology is needed. This is shown in its prime by the example discussed earlier regarding the photos being displayed on the "screen" (table top) - a user who has no knowledge of computers (or a limited knowledge, but only basic) who may not have a strong idea of how to manipulate/organise digital photos on a computer would find it emmensly easy using the Surface technology because all they would have to do would be to organise the photo's how they would in real life. If they were sorting through a collection of photos in real life (from a photo album etc) then it is higly likely they would infact use a real table top surface to lay all the photo's out, change their ordering, move them into piles for keeping or throwing away etc. It incorporates and mirrors the traditional actions and processes, and also adds extra advancement and features (being able to then manipulate the photos to a greater extent) - so it provides an overwhelming bonus.
To a greater extent, the outcome and purpose of this technology is to minimise the level of step-by-step un-natural interaction that a user has with a computer in order to complete a task. The less interaction that needs to take place, the more adapatable and useable the technology becomes by a much wider audience. Organising photos by using only intuitive natural processes and responses is much easier and quicker than having to then link these processes and responses to a set of computer-input interactions.
Another fascinating look at VR comes from a company called EON Reality, who use state of the art technology to step away from the traditional forms of communcation, into a more augmented state. They use a mixture of 3D displays, super-imposed video and intuitive interaction (similar to that used within the realms of Micrsoft Surface) to prove outstanding data communcation which really does set the pace for future and emerging technologies.
The video linked below shows a quick demonstration of how a 3D projected render of a man at a conference/event can be used to give a speech/talk - from anywhere in the world - yet still have his human presence felt in the room.
http://www.eonreality.com/products_teleimmersion.html
EON also have some extremely interesting ideas on VR and how humans interact with it. They want to step away from the more commonly accepted notions that VR must have the associated use of a user headset or other aids, by delving into immersive 3D by "floating" the content in an area of space, letting the user interact with whatever is infront of them, simply by using their hands. This links back to the Micrsoft Surface technology, and even takes it a step futher, because where the Surface system would require you to have some sort of touch based interaction with the table-top surface, the EON technology is completely touch free, literally letting the user control the content in mid air. In terms of the photo-organising example from the Surface video, this would mean that the users photos would be projected onto a screen (like Surface) BUT the user would simple place their hands in appropriate positions in the air space in front of them to move the photos around and organise them etc.
A video of the EON technology in action can be viewed here -
http://www.eonreality.com/products_3dholodisplays.html
We think that the EON technology would be harder to adapt to in the first instance because it is still considered an "out there" technology. It is also less representative of how a normal user would interact and operate with objects in the real world. Again, to use the photo example, - a user would be able to pick up the operation of the Surface technology a lot faster because of the way in which it more directly mimmicks the actions of real life (moving the images with your hands) where as the EON technology requires no hands on interaction, and whilst this technology is very impressive, it may be considered one step ahead of its self when trying to increase the user friendlyness of systems. Non-familiar users would be less inclinded to instinctively and intuitively use the in-air EON system than they would with the Surface system which is much closely linked to the traditional operation.
However, as the speed of technology grows faster, we think it is quite likely that the relation between the "traditional" methods of operating and performing day to day tasks to that of performing them in VR, will become somewhat irrelevant because the emerging technology will become familiar - it will become the traditional way, as the times change and move forward. Users will be familiar with not having to touch or physically interact with a system - these actions will become memories of the past.
The affordance of using this future technology would most likely be intuitive because it will be a non-command interface. Going back to the Microsoft Surface technology, the digitial photographs affords moving and arranging by touching. But in the future, like automatic doors, this raises issues with usbaility and HCI testing for this technology, where it will be difficult to define how to test the HCI suitability. The photos will no longer afford physical feedback, only visible (seeing the photos moving). In terms of Synchronous and Asynchronous environments, the Surface technology would be synchronous technology because it will be instant interaction and feedback with devices and techonlogy i.e. instantly placing your digital camera device on the Microsoft Surface table and then digitial photos being displayed. You no longer have to download the photo's from the digitial camera and then display them, they automatically appear.
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