::Minority Report Tech is Here!!!!

Motion controlled computers aren’t as fresh or new as they were a year ago, but that doesn’t mean that when we see cool technology being demonstrated, we still don’t get a bit weak in the knees. This time around, we get a brief glimpse into the future, thanks to Hitachi and their new motion-controlled interface. There are a few moments in the demo that doesn’t seem to translate well between user and system, but in the end it looks like a great way for us to navigate our User Interfaces in the future.

And, truth be told, it still looks amazing. Watching as the user navigates through a Google Maps-like layout, zooming in and out of a particular location in Japan, and then making his way through a crowded street, all the while just using hand gestures to make it happen. You can see in the video that the actions and results are not instantaneous at all times, but the more we watch the video, we’re leaning more towards the fact that whoever is using the contraption keeps moving his hand out of the camera’s field of vision. That would explain the double actions.

The demo showcases swiping to turn the camera around, and it also shows how, after the user enters a store, you can use your hands to navigate a quadrant of pop-up menus. Even the menus look great, especially as he navigates them. And then he accesses an advertisement, and suddenly he’s playing around with an X-ray of a human brain. The potential here is pretty great, and it’s even better to see that we will be able to do all of this without actually having to touch anything.

Unfortunately, Hitachi says that this technology isn’t ready for the prime time. They’re guess? Some time by mid-2011. So, while we find ourselves somewhere in the mid-2010, we’re already wishing for the future to catch up with the present. Hopefully Hitachi will continue to show off this technology over the coming moths, so we can watch with them as it improves.

Further Reading and Information Courtesy: My Brain, Akihabaranews.