Interactive Touch Screens Out and About: Touch Screen Party Planner for ASDA, by H Squared LTD

Found on YouTube:



The video below was produced by H Squared LTD, a creative retail design company based in the UK. It demonstrates how a single-touch application is used to help people plan their parties when they visit the ASDA store.



This company just uploaded a number of videos, which can be viewed on the H Squared LTD YouTube channel. It looks like this company has some experience with interactive television. I'm not sure if this company has ventured into multi-touch.

To learn more, I visited  the H Squared LTD website, and found that it works pretty nicely on my TouchSmart PC. You can turn the pages of Issue 1 of the magazine.  The music's fun, too, and it sounds as if someone put some thought into how it was mixed.

If you are contemplating what sort of outfit you'd like to wear to your next costume party, take a look at the styles  in the ASDA's photoshoot video.  The music? "Somebody's Watching Me".

A great beat, and you can dance to it.

IntuiLab's Interfaces: Multi-touch applications/solutions for presentation, collaboration, GIS, and commerce

This is a company I've been meaning to write about!   Here is the plug from the IntuiLab website:

"Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Toulouse, France, IntuiLab is a leader in the design and development of surface computing-based applications. Through IntuiFace, the company’s portable, scalable and extensible software surface computing platform, IntuiLab delivers and deploys applications that bring tangible returns on investment to its clients by providing their customers and users with a more natural, immersive and memorable interactive experience. IntuiLab is a Microsoft and Adobe partner and has clients in a wide variety of industries such as retail, food and health, banking, aerospace and defense, telecoms and hospitality."

"We are able to deliver such benefits to our customers thanks to a unique blend of skills (our multidisciplinary IntuiTeam), technology (the IntuiFace Surface Computing Software Platform), process (the IntuiSign design process) and a wide range of partners."

R.U.S.E. on Intuilab's Interface

IntuiLab lets you blow things up with your hands (Jimin Brelsford, CrunchGear 10/09/09)
 It is not all for fun and games:


Amazon Multi-touch Clinet on the IntuiFace Platform

"This video shows an example of how to access to an online retail catalogue (such as Amazon) from a Surface Computer rich client, and create, browse and merge lists of queried or selected items in a natural way." -Intuilabs



 Multi-user Web Browsing on a Windows 7-based 19" 3M Multi-touch




Pictures from the Intuilab website:

If you take a look at Intuilab's "the team" page, you'll find that they look like...graduate students! They probably are, or were, given the size of list of published papers. This tells me that they must have their heart, mind, and souls poured into the business!

IntuiLab's Partners

I should brush up on my French and pay them a visit!

SpaceClaim's Multi-touch 3-D Modeling Software Video Teaser (with music by Kevin MacLeod)

YouTube Description:
"A preview demonstration of modeling in 3D using a SpaceClaim's prototype multi-touch user interface that will be added to SpaceClaim this fall. Also includes clips of ANSYS Workbench, Blue Ridge Numerics CFdesign, and Bunkspeed Hypershot, showing some finger dancing that you can do without multi-touch."


At the end of the video:

Special Thanks
3M Corporation
ANSYS, Inc.
Blue Ridge Numerics, Inc.
Bunkspeed, Inc.
Microsoft Corporation
N-trig Ltd.
Music: Kevin MacLeod

(I always like product demo video clips that have danceable music with a great beat!)

Much more to come related to this topic!

CONCAVESCREAM: Soundtrack for a book interactive music and visuals,nice and relaxing on a touch screen!

I found a link to an interesting audio-based interactive website today. The Concave Scream "Soundtrack for a Book" is a promotional website for the band's new album of the same name. I never heard of this band before, but I'm impressed with the touch screen interactivity that the website provides!

It was awarded the FWA (Favorite Website Award) earlier this year.

 

More Multi-touch: Packard Bell's Viseo 200T Touch Edition; oneTwo M and L All-In-One; MSI's HD AE2400

More multi-touch!


Packard Bell Press Release: oneTwo M and oneTwo L press release (pdf)


"The use of multi-touch technology is expected to rapidly expand because it provides a fast and
intuitive interface for the user. In fact, it is not meant for computer literate or techno-maniacs, it’s addressing users who want easy-to-use and complete digital solutions, who love unique and expressive style.The Packard Bell oneTwo Series gathers all these needs into an all-in-one PC with easy-to-use touch-screen technology, eye-catching style, and fantastic entertainment and media sharing."

Packard Bell Press Release:  Viseo 200 Touch and enjoy! (pdf)

The MSI promotional video shows some interesting touch-screen interaction with the media. I'm not sure how much of this video is special effects!



MSI had a contest for people to create and share their videos to promote the benefits of touch screens over traditional PC's. Here's the promo for the contest:



The videos can be seen on the MSI contest website or on YouTube.

It is rumored that MSI will be releasing a multi-touch all-in-one sometime in the future, the MSI AE2400.


I haven't had a chance to test out any of these computers.  If you have had the opportunity, please leave a comment.

I'm hoping that there will be an influx of great touch and multi-touch applications in the future.  Multi-touch web browsers exist, but are only in the experimental phase, as far as I know, and most web-sites are not optimized for even single-touch interaction.

Natural User Interface Surfaces: TouchCo - IFSR technology company, founded by NYU Media Reseach Lab's Ken Perlin and Ilya Rosenburg

Earlier this year, I had a very vivid dream about haptic touch-screen overlays. That's how things go for me sometimes. At any rate, the dream inspired a blog post, "Last night I dreamt about haptic touch-screen overlays...". Since this is one of my interests, I try to keep up with developments in this field when I can.

It is amusing to see how seemingly unrelated things have similar roots. Today I came across information about a cool mobile phone concept for the visually impaired, designed by Samsung. The touch technology involved in the concept phone incorporated something called Electric Activating Plastic, or EAP. 


This sparked my curiosity, and while searching for more information, I came across an article in MIT's Technology Review that caught my eye:


A Touch of Ingenuity: Inexpensive pressure-sensitive pad could make surfaces smarter
(Kate Green, MIT Technology Review September/October 2009)

UPDATE:  As of 2/2010, TouchCo no longer exists. It was bought by Amazon:

TouchCo Bought By Amazon 2/3/2010

"..Now that more and more smart phones and MP3 players have touch-screen interfaces, people have grown accustomed to interacting with gadgets using only taps and swipes of their fingers. But on the 11th floor of a downtown Manhattan building, New York University researchers Ilya Rosenberg and Ken Perlin are developing an interface that goes even further. It’s a thin pad that responds precisely to pressure from not only a finger but a range of objects, such as a foot, a stylus, or a drumstick. And it can sense multiple inputs at once."

Ken Perlin and Ilya Rosenberg developed this system as part of their human-computer interaction work at NYU's Media Research Lab, and with the success of their work, went on to start a new company, Touchco, to commercialize and market this concept, known as IFSR (Interpolating Force-Sensitive Resistance) technology.

"The IFSR sensor revolutionizes the field of multi-touch human-computer interaction by out-performing existing solutions in both price and capabilities. Unlike traditional capacitive sensors, our patent pending system can detect any object - not just a finger - and can determine how much pressure is being applied to every point on a sensor simultaneously. IFSR sensors are natively multi-touch, use less power than capacitive sensors, and are much less expensive to produce, making them a highly disruptive technology with widespread market applications."


The Touchco website has a wealth of information regarding this technology. (Update: The TouchCo website was taken down in February 2010)

Other members of Touchco include Nadim Awad, Fang Cheng, Julien Beguin, and Christopher Nam.

SOMEWHAT RELATED
I know of Ken Perlin through his Games for Learning work, and also through his on-line application, Responsive Face, which I use in my work with students who have autism.




Ken Perlin's Blog
Games for Learning Institute

TechPsych Post:
Samsung Braille TouchPhone Prototype is Cool: Uses Electric Active Plastic for functional tactile feedback.

Bump Top 3D Desktop on a Touch Screen: Toss Your Photos to your Facebook Icon!

BumpTop is a 3D computer desktop organizer that provides much more flexibility- and perhaps efficiency, than the current folder-icon based desktop we interact with every day.

Touch Screen Version - Supports the use of 1 or 2 fingers - Multi-touch version for Windows 7 coming soon:


Original Version


If you want to see how different people use BumpTop, there are quite a few BumpTop videos on YouTube for your viewing pleasure.

The next release will support multi-touch, running on Windows 7. According to the BumpTop blog, the application will be bundled with 3D graphics cards. The full version is just under $30.00.

RELATED

BumpBlog

Patrick Dubroy's Personal Blog
FYI: Patrick works for BumpTop. He has a master's degree in human-computer interaction, and focuses on HCI, programming, and interaction on his blog.

Ruder Finn Interactive's Mr. Picasso-head: Fun on-line drag & drop art activity, great for a touch-screen or interactive whiteboard!

I was looking for a drag-and-drop activity for students to use on interactive whiteboards (and also on my HP TouchSmart PC), and thought Mr. Potato head would be a good choice. My daughter linked me to something even better: Mr. Picasso Head, an on-line activity created by Ruder Finn Interactive, a few years ago.

Here is my creation:

Visit the Mr. Picasso Head gallery, where you can view 939209+ creations!

Somewhat Related

The One Million Masterpiece (On-line Collaborative Art Project)

"We are asking you to draw a small square image using software on our website. You don't need to be an artist or be able to draw - you can make patterns, write words, doodle - what-ever you want. Your image will be one of one million images that will make up the entire picture - The One Million Masterpiece.

You can choose to make your picture fit in with the surrounding pieces, or make it stand out, by using a preview feature that shows your image with the context of your neighbours. You can change your image at any time if you don't feel happy with it, and you can exchange messages with your fellow artists using our community pages."

If you join the One Million Masterpiece, you can a link to display a mini gallery of your favorite pictures that can be replayed on your Facebook profile.

Touch Screens and Interactive Displays Biz News, Part III: Transforming the Kiosk Concept

Kiosks have been around for a while, but with the increase interest in anything "touch", it looks like business is going well. As you can see from the pictures below, there has been a push to innovate the design and function of the utilitarian kiosks we've come to love (or hate) over the years:




As you can see, kiosks are multiplying and finding homes in all sorts of places. One example is TouchMate's SchoolDefender kiosk, designed for K-12 settings:



"TouchMate’s SchoolDefender is an interactive touch-screen kiosk system designed for use by K-12 schools to implement Visitor Management policies. After the visitor registers, the kiosk provides a stick-on badge that shows his name and picture, what areas of the school he may visit and when the badge expires."

You can even read the news on a touch-screen kiosk. Forget about newspapers or your Kindle!



And here is a pest management kiosk:



Here are some kiosks featured at IBM e-business centers, created by Imaginary Forces in collaboration with Design Office:







Note: Design Office is now known as Jason King Associates, as George Yu, Jason King's partner, passed away, sadly, at a young age. George Yu was highly regarded as a pioneer in the field of digital architecture.

"On his own, and in partnership with Jason King, Yu completed more than 65 projects, many of them for companies involved in new media and innovative design technologies. This felicitous pairing of clients and architect meant that each could learn from and teach the other. For example, in a trio of “e-business centers” for IBM, located in Chicago, New York City, and Atlanta, Yu and King—whose firm was called Design Office—designed a conference table that used projected images and interactive technologies developed by IBM. In a more recent project, the Honda Advanced Design Studio in Pasadena, California, Yu borrowed an innovative fabrication technology from the automotive industry and used it to create a sensuously curved interior wall."

Interactive "Multimedia" at the Supermarket!

I've seen a few displays place right on the shelf with the food items over the past few months. The ones I've seen at Wal-Mart are tastefully done and are not too intrusive, but they are not interactive.


In my opinion,it would be much more useful if the screens were touch-enabled, so I could quickly access the information I needed. Who wants to stand in front of the Pringles while a video cycles through information that may not be what is needed?

Here is another example of an "interactive" display positioned at shelf-level:
I was in the cheese aisle at the supermarket the other day, and thought I heard something, but I wasn't sure what it was. I walked right by the source, and I was searching for it. Can you find it in the picture below?


(Picture taken by cellphone)

If you watch the video clip below, you can see that the "user experience" design behind this scenario needs quite a bit of improvement. I thought I might get a coupon from this display, but I was mistaken, disappointed, and unsure how to explain the situation to the cashier.

I was also disappointed because I know that there is much better technology available than this little...box!


(Video taken with cell phone)

The display says "SmartSource". SmartSource is a company that rents digital signage equipment, such as plasma video walls, waystation kiosks, and so forth. They work with Popstar Networks, a company that provides customized digital media marketing and communication solutions.

Popstar Networks now offers mobile digital advertising via Bluetooth-enabled digital media displays. Popstar Networks also provides 3D content as a holographic image. According to information from the Popstar Networks website, the 3D experience is provided through Philips 3D WOWvx technology.


You can watch a videoclip of 3D action from the Popstar Networks website: 3DTV

I suppose that the cheese aisle at the supermarket is not yet worthy of an interactive 3D "solution" : {

Apparently Philips thinks that 3D WOWvx technology is not worthy of pursuing, citing current market conditions:
Philips Decides to Shut Down 3D Operation
Chris Chinnock, Insight Media, Display Daily 3/27/09
Philips Stops Its 3D Solutions Venture
Adrian J. Cotterill, DailyDOOH 4/10/09
Philips Axes 3D Display Division
Devin Conors, Tom's Guide, 4/15/09

FYI: The following video explains 3D WOWvx:

Interactive Billboard Highlights the HP TouchSmart PC

I really, really like my HP TouchSmart PC, so I had to share this video as soon as I saw it. The focus is an interactive billboard in Mexico City, featuring an acrobat interacting with a huge screen that mimics the interaction of an HP TouchSmart PC.



Here is the same video, with different music:

Global Imagination's Magic Planet: An Interactive Digital Sphere

Global Imagination's Magic Planet is getting around. It is an interactive digital sphere that has been featured in a variety of museum exhibits, but has also been used for promotions and in educational settings.

According to the Global Imagination website, "Global Imagination® makes the Magic Planet® digital video globe - the digital display with a sphere-shaped screen. We also supply software, content and services that enable you to present global information and promotional media in the most compelling and interactive way possible."

"The Magic Planet: a digital video globe that displays real-time weather and earthquake information and a dramatic animation of the shifting continents from today back 400 million years".


For a closer look at the Magic Planet, visit Global Imagination's picture gallery page. The products page provides pictures and descriptions of Global Imagination's hardware and extensive range of software choices, including touch screen templates, end-user applications, and developer tools. You can also download the Magic Planet brochure.

The video of the Magic Planet from 2007, from the Asian Tsunami Exhibit at Yale, can can be viewed on YouTube.

For your convenience, here are links to the companies that partner with Global Imagination:

Kicker Touchscreen Conference Phone (front)

Kicker Touchscreen Conference Phone (front)
Originally uploaded by Kicker Studio

I am a fan of the work by Kicker Studios. I especially enjoy reading their blog that gives great details about how product design is done. I always come away from the blog with something new.

In the case of the touch-screen conference phone, the designers focused on their own needs, since they spend a chunk of time in conference calls. To get a closer look at the design process behind this phone, see the blog post, " Product Concept: Touch Screen Conference Phone".

RELATED

The 30 Most Influential Interactive Products

Axiotron's Mac Modbook

Axiotron's Tablet Mac



$$$$. If it was multi-touch, I'd buy it.

"It's Never Too Late" (IN2L), Dakim BrainFitness: Interactive multimedia, touchscreens, and applications for seniors.

Touch-screen applications are making headway with seniors in the form of brain fitness games and therapeutic rehabilitation activities. It makes sense to take this to the next level, via multi-touch and gesture interaction. Here is a brief overview of a few systems that are making some headway in skilled nursing facilities, in homes, and on-line:

State-of-the-Art Technology and Hotel-Like Environment Get CareOne's Rehab Patients Home Quicker

"Seniors are empowered to connect and communicate online, to immerse themselves in rich multimedia experiences, to play, to explore, create, to revisit and document their histories. In short, to be engaged in a multitude of ways that help them remain physically and mentally active.

IN2L uses an easy touch-screen interface that allows each resident to have their own profile that they can access just by touching the screen. Touching picture-based icons on the screen gives the individual access to a wide variety of experiences, games and therapies, including simulation programs like driving, flying and biking." - Mel Fabrikant, The Paramus Post, 5/7/09

The applications can be used by speech, occupational, and physical therapists to deliver reimbursable treatment activities.






New Brain Training System Entertains While Fighting Dementia: Dakim BrainFitness
Jill Schmidt, Reuters 1/9/09

"The turnkey hardware/software system includes a touch screen computer  appliance that requires no mouse or keyboard,
plus brain games that adjust to  different ability levels and are automatically updated every few days over the Internet to avoid boredom.
Already the #1 brain wellness program in senior living communities, the Dakim unit is now being released in a home
edition that makes brain fitness fun while also fighting mental decline." 

Related

Washington Post Article

Future-Making Serious Games Post: Personalized Serious Games for Cognitive Fitness
(Detailed information about the CogniFit online brain training system)