Along the time we have been forced to adapt our habits to new technologies that promise to facilitate the way in which we work. Thus, we have adopted the mouse and the keyboard as the main tools to interact with computers. We have also adopted the windows concept and the fact that we can only make one task at a time (minimize a window, scroll or change the window’s size are tasks that can’t be performed simultaneously) as our paradigm for human-computer interaction.
Smashing Magazine published recently an article showing some improvements regarding the user’s experience.
Cheoptics360
It is a product by Vizoo that can display 3D holograms with an altitude from 1.5 to 30 meters, regardless it is outside or inside.
Reactable
It is a collaborative musical instrument with a touchable interface in which many users can control the instruments simultaneously by moving or rotating physical objects that are placed over the surface.
Multi-Touch
This is a device that accepts many commands at the same time through different fingers of the same or different persons. Through the interface the virtual objects can be manipulated and the user is able to interact with the system with many fingers, just as with the iPhone interface.
Microsoft Surface
Surface is a Microsoft’s product that enables multiple users to manipulate virtual objects at the same time through a touchable table. The system is able to sense the objects that are placed over it and communicate with them in case of electronic devices such as cameras or mp3 players.
Other developments reviewed in the article are Photosynth and BumpTop.
For more information read: Smashing Magazine.