About-Interface

Test

2019-04-17T11:55:00.001-07:00

Test

Microsoft Announces Azure Kinect

2019-02-25T12:31:00.000-08:00

Almost completely swallowed up by the HoloLens 2 announcement yesterday, was the fact that Microsoft also announced Azure Kinect. Unlike previous versions, this one is fully self-contained, but the price also reflects that, coming in at $399. The specs have been drastically improved, though.

Featuring a 1MP depth sensor with wide and narrow FOV, a 12MP RGB camera, a 7 mic array, and a lot of other features, this looks to be another piece of former gaming technology aimed at the enterprise market. Hopefully this one also eventually trickles back down to the consumer market.

Microsoft Anounces Hololens 2

2019-02-25T12:10:00.003-08:00

HoloLens 2 was introduced yesterday, with 2 X 3:2 2K displays curtesy of a new two layer waveguide (down from three) and an LBS (laser beam scanning) MEMS (micro-electro mechanical systems) based light engine.

This version of HoloLens is once again, made for the enterprise market, focusing on increasing productivity. This is not a bad place to be right now, but it really does hit home with the fact that the product is just too costly to make consumer based AR/MR a reality, at this point.

HoloLens 2 Live Stream Microsoft's Reveal in Barcelona:

2019-02-24T08:49:00.003-08:00

From the Microsoft conference In Barcelona:

Hololens Teased, Primed for Reveal- What's Inside?

2019-02-12T12:06:00.001-08:00

2.24.19 #MWC19 - are you excited? I know I am...https://t.co/nO8apOLrGB pic.twitter.com/JXENF2nzEq
— Alex Kipman (@akipman) February 11, 2019

Hololens 2 is coming, and will be shown at Mobil World Congress event on February 24th. Satya Nadella and Alex Kipman will represent Microsoft at their first MWC since their failed Windows Mobile/Nokia endeavour. Why here? Mixed Reality is what Microsoft is hoping that the world will eventually trade in their phones in for, some day. What's in the next Hololens? One compiled a list of confirmed / rumored / patented specs (yes, I have read through quite a few patents)

Smaller Form Factor- Confirmed by Microsoft
APU- ? Rumored Qualcomm Snapdragon 850
HPU- (Holographic Processing Unit) Confirmed next gen AI coprocessor running deep neural networks
Wider FOV- Confirmed. Rumored to be double (70°) at minimum
VR Capability- ? Mentioned in patent. (Only if >90° FOV)
Variable Focus- ? Rumored, In patents
Light Blocking- In patents. Requires liquid crystal, per pixel sync for dark shadows
Eye Tracking- ? In patents [involving LBS display]
Foveated Display- In patents [involving LBS display]
Spacial/Hand Tracking- New Kinect for Azure, Confirmed. Combines 6 cameras/sensors into one, higher res
Display Technology- ? Rumored/Co-Patented MicroVision LBS (Laser Beam Scanning piezoelectric micromirror device)
Lens Display- ? Likely still Surface Relief Waveguide(s), next gen version of current
Consumer Version?- only if <$1500... maybe <$1000

This is NOT the Next Hololens

2019-02-05T23:52:00.000-08:00

Perhaps you have seen the following images floating around...

I just wanted to make it clear that although the media has picked up on a recent patent filing, these images are also from a patent that originated from 2010 from Osterhout Group Inc, which Microsoft bought a suite of patents from back in 2015. Yes, these images were probably originally drafted up close to a decade ago. As sleek as they look for a mixed reality headset, notice the lack of Kinect for Azure, which has been confirmed by Microsoft to be a part of the next HoloLens.

Anyway, it shouldn't be too long before we see the real thing, as the next HoloLens is supposedly set to debut to the public eye on February 24th at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Microsoft Hits Us With Unnecessary Roughness Right to the Feels, With Ad During Super Bowl

2019-02-05T22:11:00.001-08:00

This past Sunday, Microsoft reminded us that "We All Win", as is the title of their Super Bowl LIII commercial. I think they are definitely right. Just from a marketing standpoint, this wins in every way, and many people have commented that they have truly won the Super Bowl with this ad. This is of course, an ad for their Adaptive Xbox Controller, but it reads like a mission statement from the company. It should be noted that Microsoft recently became the largest company in the world...again! At least this time they are starting out with a much different approach than the sterile, beige monster that we remember from the '90s. They have been building a very different image for the last several years, and that image has become more and more unique. It is almost as if the public is starting to view Apple and Microsoft as complete opposites of their '90s-2K counterparts. This is part PR, of course... but it is indeed also part of their inherent philosophies.

Took a Little Break For 6 Years. What Did I Miss?

2018-11-18T19:07:00.001-08:00

All of these things have come since my last post, while one is even long-gone now. My, how times have changed... yet in many ways, they are still the same. Six years later, and the closest thing in these images to actually become close to mainstream would definitely be PSVR... but it's a start. I believe that we are close to some major hurdles towards our next phase. I am most looking forward to where we go from here!

So this is what 2 Kinects can do

2012-11-04T20:10:00.002-08:00

After all this talk of a Kinect 2 waiting in the wings for the release of next year's Xbox Next launch, I can't help but think that a current Kinect x 2 could well be a better option instead. Check out how accurate that the folks at 3Gear Systems seem to be coming along with their own software tools (SDK). This could provide some real benefit in the engineering, medical, and you-name-it fields. Maybe this could even make real games beyond dancing and parlor games actually playable using Kinect(s).

UPDATE:

Thinking back to those leaks from the Microsoft: Roadmap to Fordaleza (glasses) that surfaced several months back, it dawned on me that maybe this is more similar to what Microsoft has in mind for Kinect v2 than just a higher res camera and a closer field of vision. The roadmap is old, but maybe the 2 Kinects will indeed stay as they were envisioned here years ago.

Sony also into getting AR glasses out there, tries not to be too late to party

2012-06-27T15:58:00.003-07:00

Jumping into the fray a little late, Sony files a patent for its take on an HMD display not unlike Google's Project Glass.

Source: Engadget

Sony Debuts Wonderbook at E3, gamers et all wonder why books and games need to merge merge in the first place

2012-06-07T14:30:00.000-07:00

In an educational augmented reality approach, Sony shows off its Wonderbook at E3 for the Playstation 3. The device uses existing Playstation Eye along with the Move controller to enrich the experience of a 12 page blank book (which has points of referance for the PS Eye to recognize). Now, I am a believer in gaming technology being used for learning but I do think that this is a very limited approach to learning. In my opinion, a book is a book and interactive games are just that. I really don't get where the two can be mixed, especially with such a limited sized book. This is basically a pop-up book for a new generation. I don't see how it would encourage actual reading, but I do love the augmented reality aspects. I could see this working much better as a side quest in an actual game, rather than a sole implementation.

Their first book/app/game is none other than a Harry Potter tie-in subtitled Book of Spells, which should technically be a good catalyst to get things going. I just don't see such a limited scope of an idea to actually go too far after that.

Microsoft Debuts Xbox SmartGlass at E3, shatters similar offerings from rivals

2012-06-07T14:10:00.000-07:00

The idea of Xbox SmartGlass is really a combination of things. First, it is meant to be a cross-platform input and display device from any mobile device for your gaming and TV web surfing (thanks to Internet Explorer also coming to Xbox). What is unique is that the software will extend beyond Windows 8 devices, and cater to iOS devices like iPhone and iPad, as well as Android phones and tablets. It was also demonstrated to be able to pick up a movie where you left off on a tablet or phone and finish playing from the Xbox in your living room. This kind of playback sync requires you to be playing said media content purchased through the Xbox Marketplace, which is unfortunately only available through Windows devices and Xbox 360 consoles. More information about the media can be then displayed on the phone or tablet about participating content, such as interactive maps and IMDB-like info. Pretty slick.
In the former implementation, since this project was started about a year ago, it is pretty clear that the announcement of WiiU at last E3 was at least part of the inspiration. With Nintendo leading the charge in the motion gaming arena, all eyes from Sony and Microsoft were on them. Giving other console makers a year in advance heads-up now seems to be a rather confusing decision on Nintendo's part. Sony clearly also has an answer with their recently released PS Vita. Again, the difference with the other two and Microsoft is that the SmartGlass approach lets you use a device that you likely already own. It is also likely that Nintendo is helping the other two devices insure that multi-platform developers already have multiscreen implementations in the works for their games. The main negative that I can see with the SmartGlass version is that the other two already have dedicated controllers built into the touchscreen devices, while MS's version seems to require you to pick up and put down the alternate display/input device. The only solution I can see would be a split controller with varying sized docks or a wrist strap for your phone. Since the tech is still young, the answer won't likely arrive until the next generation Xbox hardware is unveiled, which is likely next year.

A couple of holographic-y type of displays shown from MS Research

2012-05-16T12:07:00.003-07:00

First up from Microsoft Research is called TeleHuman, and it aims to display a person like they are standing right in front of you. It captures the person's image using 6 Kinect devices and projects the image onto a cylinder via a 3D projector. All of those kinect devices capture the demonstrator from every angle so you can walk around the cylinder as if it were a real person. A second team is using the same tech for its BodiPod application, where various layers of the human body can be revealed in real time. Maybe they are getting ready for an X-ray version of Kinect.

Next up is called the Mirage Table. The goal of Mirage Table is to simulate interaction with the user as if they are sitting in front of you. The tools are a curved screen that merges with the table, a Kinect capture device, and a 3D projector. This is neat and Microsoft research has done some similar things in the past, but this combines several ideas into one, more practical one. You have to use your imagination while watching the video because the interaction objects are supposed float in virtual space in front ofthe viewer. Without 3D glasses and the actual viewer's perspective, you just can't get the same effect.

The Ariel TL1 simulator features the world's first 180° wrap-around screen for gaming / sumulation

2012-05-06T16:25:00.002-07:00

Fusing three curved screens together to achieve a serious 5760×1200 resolution, the TL1 simulator from car maker Ariel (of the Atom race car on a budget fame) and Motion Simulation does a lot um, simulating. It is also adaptable for flight simulation and includes motion transducers for the seat to react to the environment. It includes all of the steering, pedals, levers, and such for your driving or flying needs. The cost for the TL1 is a measly £11,500 ($18,650). Since most of us can't afford a simulator of that price tag, feel free to go ahead and trade in your current real-world vehicle or get a financing option.

Check out the video and some more screens:

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span id="goog_25924426"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span id="goog_25924427"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;


"Your arcade, sir"

For people who have a lot of extra money and also love the color white

In orange and blue

This other thing that Ariel makes

Microsoft Research "flexes" wearable EMG muscle input through patent

2012-05-02T22:21:00.003-07:00

They say that the US government is always at least 20-30 years ahead of the rest of civilization in technology. That must put Microsoft Research somewhere right in between. What could be done with such a device?.... How about some interaction with the previous wearable HMD glasses patent? There is actually quite a bit that can be done with such sensors. How about a video from Microsoft Research and their partners back in 2010?

Other images from the new patent

Looks like an Under Armor tie-in deal is imminent

This is what one of Nicoli Tesla's nightmares must have looked like

Video games on the brain

2012-05-02T21:47:00.001-07:00

2 Cornell University electrical engineering students (Chuck Moyes and Mengxiang Jiang) have cooked up a way to play OG video game Pong without interacting physically at all.

Google ready to share its vision of the future with your eyes

2012-04-10T01:41:00.000-07:00

Google unveiled what it calls "Project Glass" last week, giving the public a glimpse of what life might be like with a heads up display, or HUD, delivering digital updates right to your eyeball(s) in real time. This is like the visual equivalent of having a Bluetooth hands-free mic. I'm all for having fun with augmented reality and I think that there are some potentially vastly useful work applications for such a device, but I have a tough time swallowing the pill where this thing is going to take off as a daily aide to our empty, non-cyborg lives. The device is rumored to be called Google Eye and is also rumored to go on sale before year's end.

Video after the break

My previous post was for a somewhat similar patent from Microsoft, and Apple has also filed a patent for a visual display device to compliment their iPad, etc. It looks like there is a race and Google wants to get there first, but I think that it is more about the execution than being first. Apple is well aware of this principle and this new post-Xbox 360 Microsoft is keen on R&D for future devices, ready to go all in on its vision of the future, as Kinect's success is proof of concept. I think it will be the "who does what" with it that will be most interesting.

Microsoft's projected laser image HMD patent, smart guy makes his own Kinect VR before they do

2012-03-21T22:57:00.002-07:00

2 stories here. The first is a patent found by the website Patent Bolt, describing either a set of glasses or helmet to be worn by a user, and a reflected laser-based stereo image to be displayed appearing in front of the user to focal infinity. What is different about this than most VR HMDs (head mounted displays), is that you can still retain vision of the real world behind the image, where most current displays cut you off completely from reality. This is not only safer but also opens up a path for augmented reality and not just virtual reality. This patent was filed in 3Q 2010 and it is somewhat similar to Apple's patent from 2008, but Apple's patent seems to not be reflective, resulting in the same closed off drawback as other designs.

More patent images after the jump. The other story is a diverging one where one crafty fellow who took matters into his own hands by creating his own Kinect VR experience by combining a PC, a Sony HMZ-T1 HMD, a Kinect, a TrackIR5 (for head tracking), and the game Skyrim.

More images of that Microsoft patent:

Back again!

2012-01-30T20:31:00.000-08:00

Coming off the break, there are a couple Kinect for Windows tidbits. It was revealed last month that Kinect for Windows would release on ebruary 1st, 2012 in 12 countries (United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, United Kingdom), at a suggested retail price of US $249. Now we hear that there is a Kinect laptop in the works, with a built-in Kinect-like camera. It only seems logical that this would happen. Check out the story over at The Daily. I'm still waiting to hear the inevitable news about an MS partner slapping one of those things atop of their HDTVs. (Cough/Samsung/Cough)

IBM touts mind control as next big thing in interface

2011-12-20T22:29:00.000-08:00

IBM seems to think that talking to your iPhone or Xbox through Siri or Kinect is so this year. They predict that in five years, the hardware will be small enough and cheap enough to become mainstream.

The art of typing seems to have a chance at being supplanted by speech recognition pretty rapidly. Still, I'm not so sure I like the idea of bypassing any natural human displays of gesture in order to type faster or to change the channel by simply thinking about it. My, how far we've come since The Clapper.

Link: IBM Research News

Kinect interface to be built into smart TVs?

2011-12-02T12:43:00.001-08:00

This article over at The Daily that I seemed to have missed last week, stated that some sort of Kinect TV is in the works.They also mention Sony as being one of the manufacturers. This seems to be about right in line with the next logical step for Kinect. As for Kinect in a Sony TV, I'll believe it when I see it.

Kinect 2 rumored for next Xbox will read lips, sense your emotion, judge you

2011-11-28T17:51:00.001-08:00

When Kinect launched last year, its potential was already compromised. Instead of getting 640x480+depth, we got something more like 320x240+depth (at 30fps), half or less of what the hardware is even capable of. That is due to the USB 2.0 controller interface, which should be 35MB/s. I say "should" because it needs to share that bandwidth with other USB devices on board, which lowers the bandwidth to 5/16MB/s. Microsoft did release a patch that seemed to help the issue, but is very secretive about how much of that is due to data compression.

With that in mind, Kinect 2 is rumored over at Eurogamer to have a higher resolution image and IR sensor so it would naturally need a much higher bandwidth pipeline from the start. The accuracy of Kinect 2 is stated by Eurogamer's source to be "so powerful it will enable games to lip read, detect when players are angry, and determine in which direction they are facing.".

Also rumored lately, is 2 future Xbox SKUs. One of them being referred to as XboxTV, with stripped down capabilities and Kinect gaming portal (why not just reconfig a 360?) and the other being a hardcore games machine called Infinity or Loop, which would be backward compatible. Eurogamer also sites a past Wii-like controller concept also named Loop. I would imagine a reconfigured Xbox controller made to be used in single or dual-handed forms would make plenty of sense to me. This would really open up the hybrid gameplay with tandem Kinect and controller(s). The new consoles are rumored to be unveiled at E3 next summer, with some speculating a winter 2012 release and others suggesting a winter 2013 release.

Whether or not this Kinect 2 is the same as the upcoming Kinect for Windows remains to be seen, but one would assume that some sort of consolidation would keep cost down.

DisplAir combines projection, fog machine, IR sensor, magic

2011-11-25T13:09:00.001-08:00

A Russian start-up company has created a sci-fi interface turned into a reality. Astrakhan-based DisplAir, has demonstrated that they can run a GUI image projected onto a curtain of fog, where the IR camera tracks the hand movements ala Kinect-style interface. The IR camera is capable of picking out hand movements as small as 1cm, making it more sensitive than the Xbox-bases device, even though there seems to be more lag. Hopefully the forthcoming Kinect for PC will be able to do as well or better, with its zoom feature.

I'm not sure why exactly this is any more efficient than a touch screen display, but it is indeed much cooler.

Source: Electronista

Kinect for Windows gets new hardware, ready for its close-up

2011-11-23T21:54:00.001-08:00

Since announcing a few weeks ago that the Kinect for Windows commercial program will launch in early 2012, we’ve been asked whether there will also be new Kinect hardware especially for Windows. The answer is yes; building on the existing Kinect for Xbox 360 device, we have optimized certain hardware components and made firmware adjustments which better enable PC-centric scenarios. Coupled with the numerous upgrades and improvements our team is making to the Software Development Kit (SDK) and runtime, the new hardware delivers features and functionality that Windows developers and Microsoft customers have been asking for.

Simple changes include shortening the USB cable to ensure reliability across a broad range of computers and the inclusion of a small dongle to improve coexistence with other USB peripherals. Of particular interest to developers will be the new firmware which enables the depth camera to see objects as close as 50 centimeters in front of the device without losing accuracy or precision, with graceful degradation down to 40 centimeters. “Near Mode” will enable a whole new class of “close up” applications, beyond the living room scenarios for Kinect for Xbox 360. This is one of the most requested features from the many developers and companies participating in our Kinect for Windows pilot program and folks commenting on our forums, and we’re pleased to deliver this, and more, at launch"

Click here for the rest of the story at: MSDN

Wearable camera + HMD + trainer = remote human assist

2011-11-17T13:33:00.001-08:00

It's augmented reality or AR for the workplace. I can't find another term so I made up the term remote human assist or RHA. I'll leave the rest up to Japan's institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, who came up with this AR concept.

I'll try to make this as uncomplicated as possible. So you have 2 humans wearing a GoPro HD camera mounted on a helmet. Next you have both also wearing a HMD or Head Mounted Display showing the action through video. Basically, you have the trainer viewing the trainee's line of sight. The trainer then displays a hand movement of where the trainee is supposed to put his own hand, walking him through a task. The colored glove of the trainer is superimposed over the trainee's real-time image.

This could come in handy if say your airline pilot gets sick from eating the fish and you have to land the plane yourself... or you walk into a situation where you have only minutes to disarm a bomb and there happens to be one of those units laying there. Seriously though, I guess there are times when a trainer can't be following a trainee or multiple trainees all of the time. This appears to be designed for hostile environments where um, the trainee's life is more important? OK, I think you get the picture.

Video after the break: