Futuristic UI methodologies seem to be favor the passive (sitting and typing, reclining and typing, voice-recognition, brain-wave scanning devices), which is fine, except that most of us who sit on our butts and type for a living need more physical interaction with the world, not less. The technology behind this is obviously somewhat hairy (full body suit? Motion sensors in your office?), but how about a UI that is defined by Tai Chi. So, "Rooster stands on one leg" triggers "/etc/init.d/netscape restart." Or just simple arm movements move the cursor around the screen.

Text could be entered in clumps (rather than letters) with sign language.
-- johan, Mar 03 2000

MIT Media Lab http://vismod.www.m...od/demos/smartdesk/
There used to be a link to an interactive Tai Chi tutor using this gesture-tracking system, but I couldn't find it. [rmutt, Mar 03 2000, last modified Oct 17 2004]

Coupled Hidden markov models for complex action recognition http://vismod.www.m...ia/chmm/taichi.html
Nuria Oliver gave a talk on this stuff at a Stanford Graphics Lunch. [jutta, Mar 03 2000]

TrackIR camera http://www.dansdata.com/trackir.htm
Will track bright spots and treat them as mouse movements. [StarChaser, Dec 10 2001, last modified Oct 17 2004]

For [xandram] Wii_20Tai_20Chi
Not for interface neccessarily, but for the fun of tai chi. [theleopard, Nov 15 2007]

<grin> I dunno about you, but simple arm movements already move the cursor around my screen...Mouse Fu!
-- StarChaser, Mar 04 2000


This would probably be a welcome alternative input method for those days when you wake up in a silly mood. I mean think about it - being able to walk into the office, lock the doors, draw the blinds and then make like a bird for the rest of the day without your productivity dropping too much. Probably great for curing hangovers as well.
-- mar, Sep 03 2000


Make the physical actions *highly appropriate* to the task being performed. Although some Windows 98 tasks may require two people. And a goat.
-- Detly, Oct 28 2000


Re: PeterSealy's I-Ching link:

'I am sorry, it is not an auspicious time to open that Excel file. The stars indicate that the most auspicious time will be at 2.41am, October 13th, 2013.'

Why not? It's at least as informative as most of Windows's messages...
-- StarChaser, Oct 28 2000


The UI starts a defrag.
-- Detly, Jan 13 2001


it might depend on which itch you scratch... for a certain itch, the "Microsoft Windows 9x Product Team" easter egg starts playing.
-- jabbers, Aug 14 2001


Hmmm, nice thought [RT]. I think most people would like that more than speaking aloud to a machine. In thinking a bit further about it . . . How about if you combined that with precision gaze tracking so that the lip reading data could be "given" just to the object that you are looking at on screen? Further, if the system knows what you are trying to interact with, it can direct the lip reading/facial gesture recognition engine to narrow its focus and only expect certain distinct types of input. This could reduce recognition error.
-- bristolz, Dec 10 2001


...and if you sneeze?
-- phoenix, Dec 10 2001


Well, the context provided by the gaze-detected object isolation will not include sneezes as a desired response for the isolated object so the sneeze will be ignored.
-- bristolz, Dec 10 2001


hate this computer techy stuff - waits for StarChaser to explain it to me in words of one syllable.
-- po, Dec 10 2001


I'm practicing obfuscatory writing, po
-- bristolz, Dec 10 2001


no its not you [b] its the others, you I can relate to, please kick me if I ever offend you. Me and my big mouth!
-- po, Dec 10 2001


(Imagines the CD/DVD tray ejecting, offering me a Kleenex...)
-- phoenix, Dec 10 2001


The idea is that it would learn to read lips, po...Something that few people can manage, let alone computers...

On the other hand, something now exists to almost be able to use the original idea...A link appears.
-- StarChaser, Dec 10 2001


"The idea is that it would learn to read lips, po..."

its just something about the way you say this stuff...........
-- po, Dec 10 2001


Ah, then the problem there is that my hands are covering my nose and mouth (after the sneeze). How would I ask for the Kleenex? But you're right that the whole lip-reading computer thing was halfbaked in 2001:ASO.
-- phoenix, Dec 11 2001


Get your spreadsheet done and get a great workout too... I like it. Croissant.
-- RayfordSteele, Jan 08 2002


+ Bun Style.
-- xandram, Nov 15 2007



random, halfbakery