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Surprising Science

Gesture-Based Computing

“So far, so Minority Report.” The New Scientist heads to Los Angeles to investigate the development of gesture-based computing, a fun exercise intended for serious number crunchers.
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“So far, so Minority Report.” The New Scientist heads to Los Angeles to investigate the development of gesture-based computing, a fun exercise intended for serious number crunchers: “I find myself surrounded by a cage of metal scaffolding, which houses the system’s 16 near-infrared motion detectors, as John Underkoffler, Oblong’s chief scientist, boots up the system. I’m amidst three large screens, and above me three projectors beam images onto them. A fourth overhead projector, pointing onto a white table, serves as a fourth screen. Underkoffler insists that the G-Speak is targeting hardcore number-crunchers, not gamers, but the rig looks like it would be more at home in a rock club than an office.”

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