GestureTek

Our visit to GestureTek gave me a little bit more hope for the future of immersive technologies. They seemed to present some of the ideas I came across while doing my research. They offer a wide range of games and applications with an interesting form of interactivity. Players are able to interact with these games and applications using cameras to map the user’s movements. Take a look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ls4cM-zz6qg

One form of interactivity they utilize is the GestPOINT. This system basically records finger locations via cameras and recognition technology. It has been incorporated into their multi-touch tables, AirPoint systems, and many others. The multi-touch table provides people with access to programs through the interactive surface on top. Much like Microsoft’s version, Microsoft Surface, all interaction is controlled on the top of the table, the same space where the application is being display. It’s really just a fancy version of a touch screen monitor on a grander scale. It is quite interesting though, to interact with a program in a less traditional form.

One of the really interesting applications we saw, yet didn’t get to experience, sadly enough, was a clothing store application giving a new name to the personal wardrobe. It provided the user with the ability to search a store database of clothes through an interactive window. The really interesting part was the ability to preview how the clothes look on you through a live video capture being displayed back onto the screen. Truly an interesting alternative to traditional clothes shopping.

That being said, GestureTek is really a corporate form of the Nintendo Wii. While programs created by GestureTek and the Wii generally serve different purposes, they both use the same form of interactivity. GestureTek provides the user with interactivity through motion capture while Nintendo Wii provides interactivity through motion sensors in the hand held controller. They do have some similar applications though. The Wii presents us with Wii Fit, a way to make exercise fun while also incorporating useful applications such as a BMI (Body Mass Index) calculator, all through a small pad placed on the floor. GestureTek provides a similar environment with IREX (Interactive Rehabilitation and Exercise System) although this application is more focused on physical rehabilitation and therapy.

Capturing motion, be it through cameras or handheld devices, creates a truly interactive application as opposed to the interpassive applications of the past.

~ by pliskin on October 20, 2007.