Sunday

A Multitouch Future

We have all seen films such as Minority Report and Paycheck - futuristic thrillers in which the heroes navigate their computers with a fingertip. This technology was always an asset of the future - untouchable to us. Until now.

The arrival of the iPhone has introduced the world to multitouch technology, and meant that it is now no more than a finger's reach from we mere mortals. What is this amazing innovation?

Multitouch technology differs from touchscreens that have come before by allowing two-handed operation, and allows more than one person to use the same interface.

Jeff Han, consulting research scientist for New York University's Department of Computer Science, has been a pioneering force in the development of this new technology.

By using a sheet of acrylic which has been lit along the side, the team was able to register the dissipation of light when the surface of the acrylic was touched. In layman's terms, before being touched there was total internal reflection of the light - and none of it escaped.

However, touching the surface bounced the light out and this was then registered along sensors beneath the acrylic. These points became the points of contact and then it was a matter of developing the software that made sense of these points and put them all together.



Image courtesy of the guardian

There are now a number of companies using multitouch technology. Alongside Apple's new phone, Microsoft has entered the market with its Surface - a tabletop that responds to a variety of users.

This tool is also capable of wirelessly transmitting from cellphones and cameras, so that camera information and pictures appear on the surface as if by magic. Users can edit information by dragging their fingers between points.

Microsoft employee Andrew D Wilson developed TouchLight technology - a simultaneous projection and capturing device that allows two people to interact on the same display form on opposite sides of the world.

The grandest of Multitouch devices, though, is the HP Obscura - a giant wall which can be used to build projects, allowing a number of people to interact with the information they all need in a three-dimensional interactive environment, with a flick of the wrist.

As Multitouch technology gains momentum, the future looks set to offer a whole new world of interactivity. -

cbass.cpt@gmail.com

The Pigeon's Are Coming!!



Sebastian Stent

Cyborgs. Everyone is terrified of cyborgs. Wherever they crop up in popular fiction, people end up dead. So we have been cautious about even expressing interest in such technology. However, recent Chinese experiments show that we seem to be getting over our squeamishness … the time of the bionic pigeon is upon us.

The Chinese newspaper People's Daily Online reports that scientists in China have successfully implanted micro-electrodes into the brains of pigeons to control the birds' movement.

"Scientists with the Robot Engineering Technology Research Centre of east China's Shandong University of Science and Technology, led by Professor Su Xuecheng, say they implanted micro electrodes in the brain of a pigeon so they can command it to fly right or left or up or down.

"The implants stimulated different areas of the pigeon's brain according to signals sent by the scientists via computer, mirroring natural signals generated by the brain, and forcing the bird to comply with their commands."




While the uses of this technology are still a little ambiguous, the researchers believe that this is the first time that such technology has been used successfully with a pigeon.

In the United States, similar work on animals has been going on for many years.

In the '60s the CIA was working on a project known as Acoustic Kitty. This research fitted a cat with an implant to eavesdrop on conversations. However, as with so many things, outside influences grounded the project on its first outing - the kitty got run over.

The Americans have also been working on similar technology embedded in sharks so that they could be used for ultra-stealthy undersea surveillance. However, the results of these experiments are unknown because of the classified nature of the research.

Su conducted a similar successful experiment on mice in 2005.

But his experiments on pigeons are truly remarkable, making the bird fly in ways which they are unable to do naturally, such as straight up or down.

Maybe the wars of the future will be heralded not with a gunshot, but with the terrified cry: "The pigeons are coming!" - cbass.cpt@gmail.com

Friday

Hellopeter.co.za brings consumer advocacy to the web

Sebastian Stent

Seven years ago, long before the term "blogosphere" became part of the popular lexicon, Peter Cheales started his site Hellopeter.co.za

Unlike a simple blog, Cheales's site focused on interaction, creating a space in which customers and corporations could interact and criticisms could be dealt with quickly and efficiently.

While ordinary people could sign up for free, companies were required to pay a small fee so they could be counted as a "company who responds".

More than just a "nag" space, like "www.Hellkom.co.za", where disgruntled Telkom users can go to complain, Hellopeter's focus is on encouraging corporates to engage with their customers and solve problems.

The difference is important; Cheales's goal is to help companies improve their customer service and retain customers they could otherwise have lost through bad service.

Users log on to the site, where they are able to scroll through companies which respond or don't respond to the Hellopeter service.

Comments can be both good and bad, allowing companies to get a fair and unbiased view of how they are behaving.

Messages are then sent directly to the company and, following the company's response, the customers are encouraged to respond as to how their problem was solved and whether the solution was satisfactory.

The site was an amazing success. The initial trepidation with which companies approached the service was soon eclipsed by the benefits that came from its use - real-time, real world market research which would have previously cost them a fortune was now available instantly and proved itself as a space in which problems could be solved and lost customers retained.

Over time the service has improved further and niggling problems have been eradicated. Now, a series of verifications, checks and balances, swear-word filters, alongside live editors, make sure the site is as free and fair as possible.

Its strength lies in the customer base, which grows daily and from which come the thousands of comments daily that work to convey the feelings of the public to those in charge.

In an age where service delivery is a dirty word and companies and governments alike try their hardest to dupe the honest Joe, it is amazing that a site like HelloPeter thrives - bringing democracy and accountability into the corporate sphere, and teaching companies what they should have known all along - that the humble customer is always right. - bigeyeddeer@yahoo.co.uk