Wednesday, 27 November 2013

Ultrasonic Technology for everyday usage


Staying with the theme of ultrasonic technology;  A Norwegian  company – Elliptic Labs are in the midst of brokering a deal to embed their ultrasound chip into handsets and tablets.  The chip uses sound waves  to interpret hand movement and gestures  Running along the same vein as Microsoft’s Kinect console, Elliptic Labs have perfected accurate gesture controls from up to a meter away of your cellphone.

In contrast to Samsung Galaxy S4 which uses an infrared sensor that can only interpret hand movement  within a very small zone. Elliptic’s gesture-control system uses sound rather sight ; with a 180-degree field  for greater range and freedom, it comes with the added incentive of consuming less power and works in the dark.  Its opposition, or competition is PrimeSense, the company that developed Microsoft’s Kinect console,  they have been steering to mobile technology  with their shrunken down sensor being utilized on the Nexus 10. 

In a related issue, Disney is testing a technology that allows users to “feel” the texture of an object on  flat touchscreen.   Their new technology involves sending tiny vibrations through the display that lets people “feel” the bumps, edges, and ridges of an object.  Ironically, ultrasonic takes away the need to touch the screen, and pardon the pun in  an almost magical experience.  The ideal application is the avoidance of dirty or sweaty hands’ like flicking through a recipe book while cooking, or going through music tracks  while working on your car or turning  page on an ebook.
 
The Technology reminded me of an early Keanu Reeves movies which applied this kind of technology theory, minus the virtual reality and gloves.  But the possibility is now here!!

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