User interfaces—the way we interact with our technologies—have evolved a lot over the years. From the original punch cards and printouts to monitors, mouses, and keyboards, all the way to the track pad, voice recognition, and interfaces designed to make it easier for the disabled to use computers, interfaces have progressed rapidly within the last few decades. But there’s still a long way to go and there are many possible directions that future interface designs could take. We’re already seeing some start to crop up and its exciting to think about how they’ll change our lives. In this article are than a dozen potential future user interfaces that we’ll be seeing over the next few years (and some further into the future). What it is: In a brain-computer interface, a computer is controlled purely by thought (or, more accurately, brain waves). There are a few different approaches being pursued, including direct brain implants, full helmets, and headbands that capture and interpret brain waves. According to an article in Time from September 2008, the American Army is actively pursuing "thought helmets" that could some day lead to secure mind-to-mind communication between soldiers. The goal, according to the article, is a system where entire military systems could be controlled by thought alone. While this kind of technology is still far off, the fact that the military has awarded a $4 million contract to a team of scientists from the University of California at Irvine, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Maryland means that we might be seeing prototypes of these systems within the next decade. Researchers at Caltech are working on a MEMS-based robotic probe that can implant electrodes into your brain to interface with particular neurons. While it sounds veryThe Matrix-y, the idea is that it could allow for advanced control of prosthetic limbs or similar body-control. The software part of the device is complete, though the micro-mechanical part (the part that actually goes into your brain) is still under development. The NIA is a headband and controller that incorporates an electro-myogram, an electro-encephalogram, and an electro-oculogram to enable it to translate eye movements, facial muscle movements and brain waves. The most interesting part of the NIA is that it can be set up to work with virtually any game; the controller simply translates input into keystrokes. What it is: In computing, cybernetics most often refers to robotic systems and control and command of those systems. Biometrics, on the other hand, refer to biological markers that every human being (and all life forms) has and that are generally unique to each person. These are most often used for security purposes, such as fingerprint or retina scanners. Here are a few current biometric and cybernetic interface projects. The Military Operational Medicine Research Program is developing sensors that can be embedded into clothing to monitor soldiers’ physiological well-being. These can be used not only to monitor real-time health, but also to input additional variables into predictive models the military uses to evaluate the likely success of its missions. Fingerprint and hand scanners have been seen in movies for ages as high-tech security devices. And they’ve finally become readily available within the past few years. In most cases, fingerprint scanners are used to allow or deny access to certain users for a computer system, vehicle, or controlled-access area. Because fingerprints are unique, this is a nearly-foolproof way of determining who is gaining access to something, as well as a way to track who accessed what, and when. What it is: Digital paper is a flexible, reflective type of display that uses no backlighting and simulates real paper quite well. In most cases, digital paper doesn’t require any power except when changing what it’s displaying, resulting in very long battery life in devices that use it. Digital glass, on the other hand, is a transparent display that otherwise resembles a standard LCD monitor. Samsung showcased a prototype of a new, transparent OLED display on a notebook at CES 2010. The display is unlikely to appear in notebooks in its finished form, but it might be used in MP3 players or advertising displays in the future according to the company. Flexible e-paper displays might replace paper one day. Unlike their rigid counterparts, e-paper can be nearly as flexible as real paper (or card stock, at least), and almost as thin. LG has created a 19" e-paper display that’s flexible and made of metal foil so it will always return to its original shape. Watch for this type of display to become popular for reading newspapers or other large-format content in the future. E-Ink technology is an interesting technology that has many interesting implications in the packaging and media industries. E-ink is a proprietary paper technology that’s already seen some real-world use (such as on the Esquire cover from October 2008). While it’s currently only available in grayscale, it’s likely to be available in full color before too long. E-Ink is famous for its integration into many popular eBook readers, including the Kindle, Barnes & Noble’s Nook, and the Sony Reader. And while in these instances it’s put within a rigid display, there’s no reason it can’t be. What it is: Telepresence consists of remote control of a drone or robot. They’re most commonly seen in the scientific and defense sectors, and vary considerably based on what they’re being used for. In some cases, those controlling the device only get visual input, but in others (such as medical telepresence devices) a more complete simulation is created. Below are some of the best telepresence projects currently underway. Minimally invasive surgery can now be conducted via telepresence, using a robot to perform the surgery on the actual patient, while a surgeon controls it remotely. In fact, this method of surgery can actually work better than using long, fulcrum instruments to perform the surgery in person. The technology combines telerobotics, sensory devices, stereo imaging, and video and telecommunications to give surgeons the full sensory experience of traditional surgery. Surgeons are provided with feedback in real-time, including the pressure they would feel when making an incision in a hands-on surgery. The Universal Control System is a system developed by Raytheon (a defense contractor) for directing aerial military drones. The interface is not unlike a video game, with multiple monitors to give operators a 120ยบ view of what the drone sees. Raytheon looked at the existing technology drone pilots were using (which consisted of standard computer systems—a nose-mounted camera and a keyboard) and realized that there were betters systems being used by gamers. So they set about developing a drone operation system based on civilian business games (and even hired game developers). The finished system also incorporates augmented reality and other futuristic interface elements. Telepresence could be used to allow humans to experience space environments from the safety of earth. This technology could allow people to remotely explore distant planets without having to leave our own planet, and for a lot less than an actual manned mission. The biggest hurdles to this technology at the moment are delays in communications over long distances, though there are already advances happening in those areas that may make it a non-issue within the next few years. What it is: Augmented reality consists of overlaying data about the real world over real-time images of that world. In current applications, a camera (generally attached to either a computer or cell phone) captures real-time images that are then superimposed with information gathered based on your location. There are a number of current augmented reality projects in the works. Here are some of the most interesting ones. One of the more interesting current projects with augmented reality consists of a display contained within a contact lens. The conduit between the eye and the brain is much faster than a high-speed internet connection—and the eye can perceive more than we realize— including millions of colors and tiny shifts in lighting. Because of this, it makes sense that an interface that works directly with your eye would catch on. The current proofs of concept include contact lenses being developed at the University of Washington. They’re crafting lenses with a built-in LED that can be powered wirelessly with Radio Frequency and other simple electronic circuits. Eventually, these contact lenses will contain hundreds of tiny LEDs that can display images, words, and other information in front of the eye. It’s likely that these contact lenses will be the display for a separate control unit (such as a smartphone). The Universal Translator made communication between species possible in the Star Trek universe. And while a Universal Translator like that is likely a long ways off, NEC is already working on a retinal display called the "Tele Scouter" that will translate foreign languages into subtitles for the wearer. The device is mounted on frames from eyeglasses and includes both a display and a microphone. The sound is transmitted to a separate device that sends it to a central server for translation, and then the subtitles are sent back to the device and displayed on the retinal display. The best part is that the text is displayed within the user’s peripheral vision, which means they can keep eye contact with the person they’re speaking with. There’s one type of augmented reality that’s been around for years, first seen in military applications and then eventually in the commercial airline and automotive industries. Heads-up displays (HUDs) are used to display data on the windshield of a car or plane without requiring the operator to look away from their surroundings. In cars, HUDs are helpful at night to driving conditions on the windshield of the vehicle. This allows drivers to keep their attention on the road ahead. In the future, HUDs will be used for synthetic vision systems. In other words, everything a user sees in their viewport would be constructed from information obtained in a database, rather than an actual real world-view. This type of system is still a long ways off, but could change the way vehicles are designed, and can make for safer aircraft and automobiles because the driver/operator wouldn’t need a direct line-of-sight to their surroundings. Of course, privacy specialists will have a field day with Augmented Reality applications. After all, what happens when you can easily look at a person and gain access to their personal information via facial recognition. The technology to do that isn’t too far off. You’ll simply look at a person across a crowded restaurant and their name, Facebook and Twitter accounts, phone number, and any other available information will be at your fingertips. While this could certainly come in handy (such as those times when you find yourself confronted with someone who seems to know you, but you have no clue who they are), it could also make it near effortless for just about anyone to access your information. In fact, technology like this is already starting to pop up. What it is: We’ve seen voice control in various sci-fi movies and novels for years. Just like its name implies: this technology relies on voice commands to control a computer. Voice control has been around in some form for a few years now, but its application is just recently being explored. Here are a few current projects. Leave it to luxury automaker BMW to develop a new voice control system that allows drivers to control their navigation and entertainment systems. A single voice command lets drivers get directions to their destination or play a specific song. While other automakers have tried similar voice recognition systems, this one appears to be the most advanced. If you have a smartphone running Android, you’re probably already familiar with Google’s Voice Search feature. While it’s not foolproof, it’s definitely a great way to look something up without having to spend a minute typing in a complex search term. The best part about Google’s Voice Search is that it’s not just restricted to the Android platform. It will also work with your BlackBerry, iPhone, Windows Mobile phone or Nokia S60. Voice search is handy if you’re trying to look something up in a hurry or while driving. The Android platform will also interface with navigation, which is handy if you’re behind the wheel. What it is: With gesture recognition, movements with the hands, feet, or other body parts are interpreted by a computer (often through the use of either a hand-held controller, a camera that captures movement, or some other input device like gloves) as commands. Gesture recognition’s popularity is due to the video gaming industry, though there are a number of other potential uses. Researchers at the George Washington University have created a glove called the "Acceleglove" that will recognize American Sign Language gestures and translate them into text. It works by using a series of accelerometers on each finger of the glove along with other sensors on the shoulders and elbows to send electrical signals to a microcontroller than finds the correct work associated with the movement. The unit determines signs based on starting hand positioning, intervening movements, and the ending gesture, eliminating phrases at each step along the way. It takes milliseconds for the computer to output the correct word after the sign is completed. Television, because of its simplified user interface, is a perfect candidate for control by gesture recognition. And examples of gesture recognition control for TVs are already available. At the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show there were a few examples of gesture control for TVs. Panasonic has developed a remote control that has touch screens where finger gestures control various things. But Hitachi has come out with a TV that uses a 3-D depth camera to recognize gestures on a much larger scale. It lets you use hand gestures to change the channel, control the volume, and even to turn the TV on and off. The Nintendo Wii’s controller system is probably the first widely-adopted gaming system that uses gesture recognition for at least part of its control method. Of course, the Wii’s gesture recognition system requires that you hold the special Wii Remote and Nunchuk in order to have your gestures recognized, but it’s still a pioneering system within the gaming industry. And in the future, it’s likely that other systems, not just for gaming but in the computer industry in general, will adopt similar control systems. Project Natal takes the Wii’s gesture recognition a step further. No remote or controller is required; users simply interact with what’s on screen as they would in the real world. In other words, to kick a ball, just perform a kick motion. It eliminates the need for controllers and makes gaming more immersive. What it is: Head and eye tracking technology interprets natural eye and head movements to control your technology. Gran Turismo has long been heralded as one of the most realistic racing games out there. But with Gran Turismo 5, they’ve gone a step further. The newest version of the game will include head tracking capabilities. The PlayStation Eye camera will track a player’s head and control the view within the cockpit of the car. This will make the overall experience much closer to what you actually experience while driving, where you can glance to one side or the other quickly without entirely losing sight of what’s in front of you. Chris Harrison has come out with a head tracking system that works with a standard webcam. It’s available for Mac OSX (not including 10.6) and can be used with any number of 3D interfaces. The most interesting thing is that this kind of technology can easily be made to work using existing technologies. What it is: Artificial Intelligence (AI) consists of creating inorganic systems capable of learning from human input. While we’ve already created systems that are decent at mimicking learning behavior, they’re still limited by their code. Eventually, computers will be able to learn and grow beyond their programming. It’ll only be a matter of time before we see The Skynet Funding Bill passing (it’s already 13 years behind). Below are some of the more interesting AI projects currently being considered and undertaken. In the UK, police are looking into how AI can be used to for counter-terrorism surveillance, data mining, masking online identities, and preventing internet fraud. They’re also looking at how intelligent programs could capture useful information and preserve images of hard drives over the web. Digital forensics could become much more efficient with the assistance of artificial intelligence, so expect to see a lot more projects in the coming years that incorporate AI with law enforcement. Artificial intelligence will create more realistic and engaging gameplay. Rather than relying solely on pre-programmed interactions, AI can allow games to adapt to their player’s mid-game. While there are some technologies being employed that simulate artificial intelligence in video games, true AI hasn’t yet been achieved. Newer technologies, like dynamic scripting, could bring game AI to a new level, leading to more realistic gameplay. NASA and other world space agencies are actively looking into artificial intelligence for controlling probes that might explore star systems outside our own. Because of delays in radio transmissions, the further away a probe gets, the longer it takes to communicate with it and control it. But AI may eventually make the need for direct control nearly disappear. These probes would be able to react intelligently to new stimuli, and could carry out more abstract orders rather than having to have every minute movement preprogrammed or transmitted on the go. The need for an assistant to handle the mundane tasks of everyday life is growing greater for many people. However, your current options right now are limited, especially for the majority of us who can’t afford a personal assistant. But soon, we’ll have virtual assistants available that will be able to make a reservation for us, find a gift for your grandmother’s 75th birthday, or do all the research for your next project. While the degree of actual AI and just extremely intelligent programming will vary, there are definite potential applications for a true AI system in all this. What it is: Multi-touch is similar to gesture recognition, but requires the use of a touch screen. A traditional touch screen could accept input from only one point on the screen at a time. Multi-touch, on the other hand, can accept input from multiple points simultaneously. There are already a number of products that include multi-touch, though the technology still has a lot of untapped potential. Microsoft’s Surface technology is a large-scale multi-touch system that’s particularly suited to being built into things like tables or retail displays. Surface is in use in a variety of places, including Disney’s Tomorrowland resort and during MSNBC’s election coverage. Because of Surface’s large scale and likely uses, it accepts input not just from multiple fingers at once, but from multiple users at once. This makes it particularly suited to public spaces. In addition to multi-touch, Surface also has object recognition capabilities, which allow users to place physical objects on the screen to trigger different digital responses. Apple has been a leader in implementing multi-touch technology for a few years now. The iPhone was the first mainstream consumer product to use multi-touch, and it has appeared on the iPod Touch, MacBook track-pad, the Mighty Mouse and soon, the iPad. Multi-touch has become a key part of the Mac OSX user experience, and the iPhone OS. Everything from scrolling to zooming in and out, to custom gestures can be carried out using the multi-touch interface. In addition to the iPhone, a number of other mobile devices have multi-touch capabilities. The Palm Pre and Pixi, the Motorola Droid (though multi-touch is disabledin the U.S.), and the HTC Hero and HD2 all have multi-touch capabilities. For the most part, these phones use multi-touch for simple tasks like zooming in and out when browsing the web. Usability is greatly improved in most cases because of the inclusion of multi-touch, especially when it comes to manipulating on-screen graphics and images. What user interface technologies and projects are you eager to see the most? Share your thoughts in the comments.Brain-Computer Interface
Army Mind-Control Projects
The Matrixesque Brain Interface: MEMS-Based Robotic Probe
OCZ’s Neural Impulse Actuator
Biometric and Cybernetic Interfaces
Warfighter Physiological Status Monitoring
Fingerprint Scanners
Digital Paper and Digital Glass
Transparent OLED Display
LG 19" Flexible Display
E-Ink
Telepresence
Telepresence Surgery
Universal Control System
Space Exploration and Development
Augmented Reality
Augmented Reality in a Contact Lens
Wearable Retinal Display
Heads-Up Display
Privacy Concerns with Augmented Reality
Voice Control
BMW Voice Control System
Google Voice Search
Gesture Recognition
Acceleglove: Gloves that Recognize Sign Language
Gesture-Based Control for TVs
Nintendo Wii
Xbox Project Natal
Head and Eye Tracking
Gran Turismo 5
Pseudo-3D with a Generic Webcam
Artificial Intelligence
Cyber Security Knowledge Transfer Network
AI for Adaptive Gaming
AI for Mission Control
Virtual Assistants
Multi-Touch
Microsoft Surface
Apple Products
Mobile Phones
What user interface are you most excited about?
10 Best Ways to Use Your PC While You're Sleeping or at Work
Posted by Virus Expert Labels: PC Tips, sleepAs much as we like to multitask, there's only so much a processor can handle at once. And some processes, like games, monopolize CPU clock cycles, making it inconvenient to run other processor-intensive utilities in the background. That's why we keep our home PC powered on while we're at sleep or at the office. Forget about energy savings--a powerful PC is meant to be utilized! From scheduled FTP downloads to converting digital photos and more, here are the ten best ways to keep your PC busy so it won't miss you when you're gone. Downtime be damned! Sure, you can record TV shows and movies while you use your PC, but what do you do if you have two or three programs all battling for your attention? If you can't catch your favorites on Hulu or Boxee, or if you don't have a TV tuner than can handle multiple programs, take advantage of repeat broadcasts of many programs; catch the game live, and record your favorite news programs or movies later. If your favorite movie station insists on having a marathon of your favorite movie, you might as well record the 2AM showing and watch something else in prime time. If you use Windows Media Center, you can use either theprogram guide or the movies guide to record movies. Windows Update enables you to decide when to download and install updates for Windows and for Microsoft Office and other programs supported by Windows Update/Microsoft Update. The default setting is in the middle of the night, but if your PC is busy with other tasks then, consider a time like Wednesday morning after you head off to work (Wednesday morning is also a perfect time to catch Microsoft's Patch Tuesday updates). Need a reminder on how to adjust your settings? Here's how to do it with Windows XP and with Windows Vista (and Windows 7). Although most current anti-virus and anti-malware programs can run while you use your computer for other tasks, you're still better off to check your machine for problems when you're not using it. Depending upon your favorite software, you might be able to schedule scans from within the software, or in some cases, you might need to run Windows Task Schedule/Scheduled Tasks service separately. To find out if your favorite programs have built-in scheduling, you might need to switch to the program's advanced mode or advanced menus. For example, to schedule scans with Spybot S&D, you must switch to the Advanced mode and open the Settings tag to locate the scheduler. However, you might need to update to the paid versions of some scan programs to have access to scheduling functions. Depending upon the speed of your anti-virus and anti-malware scanners, you might be able to schedule them on the same day or night. If possible, schedule the scanner's update process to run before the scan program itself. While malware and spyware can deep-six your computer's performance, so can problems with your hard disk's structure. Use the dynamic duo of chkdsk and defrag to check your hard disks for errors and defragment files to keep your storage in good shape. Chkdsk can be run from the command prompt, and by using command-prompt switches when you schedule chkdsk to run, you have a great deal of control over how chkdsk works. If you want to repair disk errors on the C: (system) drive, you'll need to schedule chkdsk to run at startup. You can shut down and restart Windows automatically using Task Scheduler, enabling you to run Chkdsk on the system drive at startup. You should run Chkdsk before you run Defrag on a given drive to assure that files are not being moved to corrupt portions of the disk. In Windows 7, you can select multiple drives for defragmenting, which realigns small file fragments into larger contiguous blocks. This enables faster file reads and writes, especially on drives with frequent changes, such as the drive you use for temporary or swap files or drives with frequent modifications to data files. You can configure most commercial backup programs as well as Windows's own backup programs to run on a schedule. To make scheduled backups work properly, keep the following in mind: To learn more about using Windows 7 backup, see our Windows 7 feature focus article. If you’re a serious digital photographer, you already know that shooting in RAW mode provides much more control over exposure, white balance, and other factors than shooting in JPEG. However, when it comes to sharing or printing your photos, JPEG rules. Cut out the tedium of converting your photos manually by using automation features in your photo editing software. With Photoshop Elements and Adobe Camera RAW, you can use Process Multiple Files to convert RAW files into virtually any other format supported by Photoshop Elements, apply quick fixes, resize images, rename files, and add labels. With Adobe Photoshop CS4 and Adobe Camera RAW, you can use the Image Processor to automate the conversion process and run actions. If you still use Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Adobe Camera RAW, you can also use Image Processor. Depending upon what type of video you're encoding or transcoding, there are many choices, all of which take time better spent when you're away from your PC. Here are some of our tutorials and product guides: Whether you use FTP or Bittorrent to transfer files or play games delivered via Steam, you're pushing a lot of information through your home network to the Internet (and vice-versa). Here's how you can take advantage of away from your PC time to handle heavy bit-pushing. If you use file transfer protocol (FTP) to shuffle files around, you know there are plenty of freeware versions to choose from. Unfortunately, just about all of those that include a scheduler feature will cost you a few bucks. One that won't cost you anything is WinSCP. Use its scripting feature to schedule file transfers. For a low-cost FTP program that doesn't require scripting to schedule transfers, consider ProSoft FTP Scheduler Standard Edition(about $25, 15 day trial). Want to schedule Bittorrent transfers? Check out the Scheduler feature built into uTorrent. Scheduler allows you to adjust transfer speeds, go idle, or upload only at the times you select. For a tutorial, see page 7 of our own Paul Lilly's 20 Essential Tricks and Skills Every BitTorrent User Should Know. Be sure to see the comments for tips on using Dropbox and PeerBlock to improve uTorrent performance. While Steam doesn't provide a way to schedule your downloads, you can pause and restart a game download whenever you want. There's no need to drag your music collection between home and office. Give your iPod or Zune a rest and use our own Norm Chan's How To: Stream Your Music Library to Any Computer tutorial to bring your music to your office. The most time-consuming step (page 2) is importing your music into Netjukebox, so it's a perfect candidate for running it before you hit the hay or head to the office. Compiling code and rendering graphics are among the most time-consuming tasks you can perform, so you shouldn't waste precious playtime by watching your computer munch program and video bits. Start these processes before you clock out for the evening or as you start off to work. To make sure they run as quickly as possible, set your computer's power management for high performance and turn off other tasks that might interfere, such as Windows and application updates and other processes (such as the ones listed in this guide). If you're rendering graphics to an external drive or building a DVD or Blu-Ray disc, make sure your external drive is ready to roll and that you have a suitable blank disc in your drive. You can "give something back" to the world by devoting unused computer cycles to a cause you support. You can help make scientific discoveries or fight deadly diseases, and there's no shortage of causes looking for your help. For a list of projects, see these Maximum PC stories: Facebook and Intel want You to Donate Your Spare Cycles,Freeware Files: Five Free Distributed Computing Projects for your Idle PC!, and New Distributed Computing Initiative Wants to Create Artificial Life. Need more options? See Wikipedia's list of distributed computing projects and Distributed Computing Info's list of projects. Whether you're running apps that include built-in schedulers or need to start them yourself, you're going to want a way to log into your home PC from the office and keep an eye on what's going on. You could use commercial services like GotoMyPC, but if you're looking for a powerful freebie, check out the remote connection apps in our story The Ultimate Free Network Applications, Period. During your coffee breaks or lunch, you can stay in complete control of your PC at home.Record TV Shows and Movies
Patch Applications and Run Windows Update
Scan Your PC with Anti-virus and Anti-malware Software
Check Your Hard Drive for Errors with Chkdsk+Defrag
Backup Your PC!
Process Photos and Transcode Videos
How To: Download, Save and Convert Flash Video to Play on your iPod or DVD Player
Ultimate Guide to Playing and Transcoding Downloaded Videos
The Last DVD and Blu-Ray Ripping Guide You'll Ever Need
The Power User's Guide to Video Encoding with Handbrake
The Top Transcoding Apps for Watching Content on Consoles
Schedule Bittorrent Downloads and Pre-Load Steam Games
Run a Music Server
Compiling Code or Render Graphics
Contribute to Distributed Computing
How to Manage It All When You're Away
