Lab7Kochar

//Write four paragraphs to define the term 'physical computing'. (4 paragraphs)//

Up till now when most people thing of computers they think of the actual CPU as the hardware while everything it is capable of doing as the software. To many, the only “physical” part of computing is pressing the power button. However, physical computing has now gone a step further to combine both the physical attributes of hardware and apply them to the intangible component of software. This is most evident by the technological advancements produced by MIT students and their new tool “sixth sense”.

Sixth Sense allows a user to bring software to their fingertips, literally. “SixthSense is a wearable gestural interface that augments the physical world around us with digital information and lets you use natural hand gestures to interact with that information. By using a camera and a tiny projector mounted in a pendant like wearable device, SixthSense sees what you see and visually augments any surfaces or objects we are interacting with”. Using almost any surface as a platform, the capabilities and usability of SixthSense are almost endless. As was shown in the video, the hand of a user could be used to make a phone call as the hand itself became the physical touchpad.

Another example of a physical computing product is the Bluetooth Laser Virtual Keyboard. Developed by I-tech, the virtual keyboard places a keyboard onto a surface and when connected to a computer the keyboard would work just like any other physical keyboard. A laser would illuminate a full keyboard onto a flat surface and by pressing on the area where the “a” “b” “c” keys are, the corresponding letters would then show up on the computer screen. This combines the software which is being used in the technology and gives it a physical attribute.

Physical computing currently appears to be in the beginning stages and the possibilities are growing. The current capabilities in these first few years speak volume and what the technological environment is able to do with this is currently incomprehensible. However, the future appears “bright” for this technology.

//Here are two links to videos describing new authoring devices for prototyping, which include software and technical information. Write two paragraphs each describing their prototyping methods, and describing what they are enabled to do. (4 paragraphs)//


 * Dynamic Experience Prototypes d.tools: Reflective Physical Prototyping**

The two most important attributes that make D.Tools valuable is that it conserves two very important assets; time and money. D.Tools enables developers to experiment with ideas and create products which will be proven to work. Before, the finished physical product of any technology may have required multiple attempts and a very low success rate. However, with D.Tools, inventors are able to know whether their product will work well before any physical finished product is required.

D.Tools is broken down into three stages; design, analyze and test. The video shows how an accelerometer is used in pdas and ipods. By testing out a products development at different stages, the margin for error is greatly reduced. Rather than having to wait till the final product is made to see if it works or not and then backtracking to see where the failure has occurred if the product does not function, D.tools allows for the full completion of one stage before moving onto the next. This in turn saves time and money allowing less financed developers to bring their ideas into physical form.


 * Exemplar: Authoring Sensor-based Interactions by Demonstration**

Exemplar takes the characteristics of D.Tools however the tools in this scenario are sensors. The video shows how a developer is making a helmet which will signal the direction of the cyclist when performing a turn. If the cyclist wishes to turn left, then simply leaning their head to the left will signal a light on the back of the helmet showing a blinking left arrow (identical to a cars’ turning signals). The sensors in the helmet pick up the signal when the cyclist turns their head and the direction of the head creates a unique connection with the helmet.

As was with D.Tools, the multiple testing and pattern recognition throughout the development phase allow for a better product in the end. The time and costs are greatly reduced. Constant testing of the commands allows a developer to replace multiple trial attempts with more productive tasks.