Talk:Multi-touch interface

Outline

This is an outline that John Fischer, Anderson Osagie, and Jayvin Arora are developing to construct this article.Jayvin Arora 21:23, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

0. Introduction/Summary

1. Technology: How is it accomplished/implemented

2. History of touch technology ( single touch, ... )

    http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-20008369-56.html?tag=mncol;mlt_related

3. Legal issues in Multi-Touch

    http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/the-multi-touch-patent-game-who-was-first/2411
    http://androidcommunity.com/forums/f10/apple-does-not-own-multi-touch-legal-impossibility-5550/
    http://www.wired.com/gadgets/miscellaneous/news/2008/02/multitouch_patents
    http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2007/0262964.html
    http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/apples-htc-lawsuit-is-it-biting-off-more-than-it-can-sue/31565
    http://www.google.com/patents?id=dB4EAAAAEBAJ&printsec=abstract&zoom=4#v=onepage&q&f=false
    http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20001424-260.html

4. Multi-Touch current implementations in different sectors.

5. How to develop apps for it. Basic framework, and things to keep in mind.

   a. Frameworks available (Java MT4j)

6. The Future of Multi-Touch

   a. Emerging Technologies
   b. Future Trends & Applications
   c. Pop-Culture/Movie Sightings

7. Shortcomings of the Multi-Touch (cons) (Ex: No Keyboard for feel, no mouse, etc...)

    a. Possible alternatives to MT that address flaws/problems.

8. References

Very nice.

I look forward to the article.

Interesting human factors can arise. Some years ago, I worked with an experimental high-resolution system for pathological examinations. We used a high-resolution touch screen.

For some reasons, physicians, who were very supportive of the project, were very reluctant to use the touch screen. Eventually, we found the problem: it was sufficiently photo-realistic that the tissue samples looked real to them, and subconsciously triggered their conditioning about ever touching tissue with bare hands. Once we gave them a light pen (or let them put on rubber gloves), it became user-friendly.

Howard C. Berkowitz 05:35, 23 July 2010 (UTC)

Biometrics

It occurred to me that multitouch could provide some very interesting applications for biometric recognition and authentication, and probably some privacy concerns as well. There has been some recent research into using keystrokes when typing as a biometric identifier (ref http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/04/keystroke_biome.html) that I'm sure could be extrapolated and applied to multitouch. You could probably gauge some unique biometrics from multitouch as well, such as body dimensions based on touch points, etc.

Justin C. Klein Keane 13:03, 12 August 2010 (UTC)

Minority Report question

Was that really multi-touch that Tom Cruise used in Minority Report? I thought he was just gesturing 3D in the air using some kind of magnetic gloves or something, that had nothing to do with touching a flat surface. Since there was no "touching", I'm not sure what this has to do with multi-touch interfaces, which detect points of touching and directional movements for the points of touch. Please clarify why this reference belongs here (if it does).Pat Palmer 08:56, 12 August 2010 (UTC)

The reason this is included in here is because notice the similarities to multi-touch. Tom Cruise was interfacing with a computer using multiple hands, a number of different gestures, etc. This is exactly how we interact with multi-touch today except we are forced to touch. Also, according to Steven Spielberg, this technology from the movie resulted from a consult with Microsoft (one of those technology consultants went on to help design Microsoft Surface) and look at the similarities to Microsoft Surface. Also note that IR cameras (like in the Wiimote) allow you to interact with "multi-touch" with an LED light (Wiimote Whiteboard). This is exactly how the surface in Minority Report reacted, they did not use magnets, but rather, gloves with LED (or some other type) lights. Just because the surface was not flat and because there was no direct touching does not make the appearance of the technology irrelevant to the public introduction to multi-touch (this is exactly where I remember being introduced to multi-touch), note my future section in the presentation I mention touch-less "multi-touch." John Fischer 11:24, 12 August 2010 (UTC)