Techno Babble

The WowPen Digi is a multi-purpose wireless device which can operate either as a digital pen or, simply at the flick of a switch, it can provide mouse functionality. It seems to have been around for a while but it’s something I’ve only come across recently.

The pen comes with a USB receiver which is attached to the side or corner of an ordinary piece of paper or notepad. This is used to detect movement of the pen and enables, for example, written notes to be converted to text files using handwriting recognition software.

More details of the device can be found here

http://www.wow-pen.com/new/downloads/downloads_digi_e02.htm

or at the home web-site at

http://www.wow-pen.com/

A Brain Computer Interface (BCI) is technology that monitors brain activity and uses those observations to control external devices or computer applications.

Emotiv Systems have recently launched the Emotiv EPOC™.

This consists of a headset with sensors for monitoring brain activity together with an SDK (software development kit) that will enable Application Developers to incorporate “thought control” as a feature of their programs.

Sensors built into the headset respond to electrical impulses generated by the brain, that enables a user to directly influence the behaviour of an application using their thoughts. Conscious thoughts, facial expressions and non-conscious emotions can be detected. An embedded gyroscope can be used to control a cursor or camera by head movements and the headset uses wi-fi to connect to a PC or game console.

For developers, the Emotiv SDK provides a number of tools:

• Affectiv™ suite is used to measure discreet emotional states.

The Affectiv suite monitors player emotional states in real-time. It provides an extra dimension in game interaction by allowing the game to respond to a player’s emotions. Characters can transform in response to the player’s feeling. Music, scene lighting and effects can be tailored to heighten the experience for the player in real-time. The Affectiv suite can be used to monitor player state of mind and allow developers to adjust difficulty to suit each situation.

• Cognitiv™ suite detects conscious thoughts.

The Cognitiv suite reads and interprets a player’s conscious thoughts and intent. Gamers can manipulate virtual objects using only the power of their thought! For the first time, the fantasy of magic and supernatural power can be experienced.

• Expressiv™ suite can identify facial expressions in real-time.

The Expressiv suite uses the signals measured by the neuroheadset to interpret player facial expressions in real-time. It provides a natural enhancement to game interaction by allowing game characters to come to life. When a player smiles, their avatar can mimic the expression even before they are aware of their own feelings. Artificial intelligence can now respond to players naturally, in ways only humans have been able to until now.

There is also a version of the SDK available SDKLite which offers a comprehensive development environment using a hardware emulator rather than the neuroheadset supplied with the full development kit.

A beta version of the Emotiv SDK is scheduled to be available from March 2008.

Full details are available from the website at

http://emotiv.com/

With the growth in Mobile Phones, MP3 players, Laptop computers and other similar devices wouldn’t it be great if you never had to recharge them?

Well perhaps they still require re-charging, but what if the whole process could be simplified and they could obtain the required power without the need for wires and cables

Patents on the wireless transmission of power were first awarded in the early 1900′s to the pioneering Inventor and Electrical Engineer Nikola Tesla.

More recently, Splashpower a company based in Cambridge, U.K. recently announced a licensing agreement with Alba to distribute wireless power products to the consumer.

http://www.splashpower.com/

Splashpower’s technology uses magnetic induction to transfer power wirelessly from a charging base to a target device which has been enabled with a Splashpower wireless power receiver (This is the same process used to charge electric toothbrushes).

Super Cilia Skin is a tactile and visual system inspired by grass blowing in the wind.

It has the ability to record and playback dynamic gestures over time which could provide a valuable tool for haptic communication – the gesture can be seen or felt (by the movement of the membrane).

More details are available from the web-site at

http://www.rafelandia.com/mas834/scs1.html

and an in-depth paper available at

http://tangible.media.mit.edu/content/papers/pdf/SCS_Textile_053.pdf

Topobo is a 3D constructive assembly system with kinetic memory, which provides the ability to record and playback physical motion.

By snapping together a combination of Passive (static) and Active (motorized) components, people can quickly assemble dynamic biomorphic forms like animals and skeletons, animate those forms by pushing, pulling, and twisting them, and observe the system repeatedly play back those motions.

Created as a project (circa 2004) at the Tangible Media Group at MIT – developed by Amanda Parkes and Hayes Raffle.

http://tangible.media.mit.edu/projects/topobo/

The main web-site is at

http://web.media.mit.edu/~hayes/topobo/

or

http://www.rafelandia.com/topobo/index.html

and a brochure is available from

http://web.media.mit.edu/~hayes/topobo/aec/bookletlowres.pdf

I’ve recently added a list of links to various Research Labs so be sure to check them out from the Research Labs menu. But be warned, they can become quite absorbing and you could be hooked for hours.

Meanwhile, Microsoft have recently announced plans to create a new research lab in Cambridge Mass. that will be known as – Microsoft Research New England – and is scheduled to open in July 2008.

http://research.microsoft.com/aboutmsr/labs/newengland/default.aspx

The lab, Microsoft Research’s sixth research facility worldwide, will pursue new, interdisciplinary areas of research that bring together core computer scientists and social scientists to understand, model, and enable the computing and online experiences of the future

A Press Release is available at

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass…CambridgeLabPR.mspx

and an interview with the founding members is available at

http://research.microsoft.com/news/…/Chayes-Borg.aspx?0hp=n2

I recently got a new laptop, Dell Latitude D430 dual-core and 32Gb Solid State drive, and needed to install the necessary essential software i.e. the software I just can’t live without.

Here is what I noted installing (but not necessarily in this order)

Closely followed by

I came across this on-line chat recently.

A global designer conference, Expression around the Clock

http://www.microsoft.com/canada/expression/events-training/globalevent/default.aspx

took place on October 4th, 2007 in Toronto and this link provides you with a recorded talk by Bill Buxton – Above and Below the Surface: A Perspective on Interactive Experience

http://www.microsoft.com/expression/events…Experiences