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A Motion-Sensing Keyboard

research.microsoft.com

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Re: A Motion-Sensing Keyboard

#11

Post by cheeseprocedure »

aperture wrote: post #7

I find this functionality is very cool, but does it have to be motion sensing? I find physically moving your hand off the keyboard and back on to be somewhat tiring, especially since it's doing apparently the same thing as "scroll down". But since the hand stays on the left side, how about adding a button underneath the left palm, where by moving the palm slightly the command is performed? This I think takes away any…

I wonder if there's RSI implications when hands-off-keyboard gestures are used more than sparingly.

Re: A Motion-Sensing Keyboard

#12

Post by dnlserrano »

It reminded me a lot of Apple's Magic Mouse: https://www.apple.com/magicmouse/

I did not enjoy working with it, one of the few times I had to use a Mac to do something. However, I think these new forms of interaction will definitely play an important role in the way we will use (mechanical) interfaces in the future.

A bit off-topic, but have you seen this? https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mimu/mimu-glove-for-mus... Also a new cool way of interacting with computers, for a much more specific purpose.

Re: A Motion-Sensing Keyboard

#13

Post by bobbles »

This looks like an awesome alternative to have to swipe the screen with your hands, and would make Windows 8 much more palatable on a desktop machine. Would be great to see it actually running though

Re: A Motion-Sensing Keyboard

#14

Post by nezza-_- »

Does anyone remember the FingerWorks keyboards that one could put into PowerBooks? Reminds me quite a bit of the stuff that they did with their multitouch keyboard. (They got acquired by Apple in 2005)

Re: A Motion-Sensing Keyboard

#15

Post by Buge »

asharpe wrote: post #5
pbnjay wrote: post #2

I find it amusing that they used an Apple keyboard... Then again the chiclet style keys seem to be a big factor in the build.

The default position that all innovation comes only out of apple (vis the Apple keyboard comment) suggests that: 1. Apple marketing is still doing a great job convincing everyone they still have innovation in the heart of everything they do (I dare say it's not innovation as improvement and miniturisation) 2. Microsoft needs to do more to burnish it's innovation credentials

Funny since this was a Microsoft research project.

Re: A Motion-Sensing Keyboard

#16

Post by bennyg »

dnlserrano wrote: post #12

It reminded me a lot of Apple's Magic Mouse: https://www.apple.com/magicmouse/ I did not enjoy working with it, one of the few times I had to use a Mac to do something. However, I think these new forms of interaction will definitely play an important role in the way we will use (mechanical) interfaces in the future. A bit off-topic, but have you seen this? https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mimu/mimu-glove-for-mus.…

I absolutely love using my Magic Mouse. Whenever I get on someone else's computer I'm trying to go back and forth on web pages and desktops with the mouse.

Re: A Motion-Sensing Keyboard

#18

Post by FajitaNachos »

I've been messing around with a Leap Motion device lately, and while I was initially skeptical, there are some actions which are genuinely more pleasant than using a keyboard alone.

Sure, it may not be ideal for everyday computing, but it can be great for specific scenarios. Think a presentation, or something that has less frequent interactions than surfing the web.

Re: A Motion-Sensing Keyboard

#19

Post by nivla »

pbnjay wrote: post #2

I find it amusing that they used an Apple keyboard... Then again the chiclet style keys seem to be a big factor in the build.

It looks like they borrowed the Apple's chiclet keys and frame, when he flips it over the PCB has Microsoft written over it [1]. To be fair for a prototype why wouldn't they use it, it looks nice and sleek, its flat and thin so sensors can be inserted between the gaps and more or less they had one lying around in their office.

[1] http://youtu.be/Y3dUeGNIX4M?t=1m14s

Re: A Motion-Sensing Keyboard

#20

Post by rando289 »

jcfrei wrote: post #17

It's definitely cool, but I can't yet think of a single user interaction where it would be faster than just using shortcuts.

You lack imagination. Scroll down half a page (which happens to be 27 mouse scroll events, but you don't know how many yet).
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