How Your Coffee Table Could Pass Your Coffee 55
mikejuk writes with this tantalizing excerpt about one possible future of furniture:"The mechanism of MIT's new shapeshifting output device is remarkably simple. It is based on the well known pin screen devices that you can use to take a 3D impression of an object. A 2D plate of pins can be moved to create a surface.In the same way, inForm uses a set of rods and actuators to create dynamic surfaces. The big difference is that the actuators are under computer control. Now you have a computer controlled surface and what is really surprising is how much you can get from this simple idea. With the help of a 3D depth camera and some innovative software, the surface can act as an output device that lets you manipulate real objects remotely. If you use the surface as a table then your computer can bring you real objects such as your mobile phone — see the video to believe it. While there are many obvious serious applications such as displaying volumetric CT scans, displaying complex data or providing early experience of prototypes there is also the possibility of having fun with the device. After all simple pinscreens are still sold as executive toys. Could there be a new generation of games in this?"
Watch the video (Score:5, Insightful)
What's so impressive about this isn't in the summary. The cool part is that they developers have already considered (and built prototypes) of all kinds of interactive models that this could support. Remote control, tactile user interfaces, light and color manipulation, soooo much more than "bring me my phone".
The video blows the summary out of the water.
A link without a million ad scripts. (Score:4, Insightful)
Drop NoScript on the first few, then a dozen more come up. I won't use that kind of site. Here's a better link. [youtube.com]
this skeptic is stoked (Score:3, Insightful)
I feel your anger towards 'internet hype' in general but I gotta be honest I thought this was cool.
'coffee table that can pass your drink' is a contextualization of the technology for a sort of 'pop-science' audience...looking at the tech I think it has legs.
I make tshirts (and do tech consulting)...my goal is to produce tshirts from US grown hemp...I can def imagine an application of this technology at a few key spots in the production process. Probably somethign to do with sorting.
it's just one dumb article...but IMHO it's cool
Re:slashdot submitters incapable of thought (Score:3, Insightful)