Ever since I saw the Kinect work I new it would change user interfaces for ever. No more sharing germs, just hand gestures like on minority report. As I told my tech friends (comp techs not devopers/programmers) about how it would change every thing they all blew me off. Then I start trying to think how much time would I have to make something that works with kinect and when stuff will start being released. So heres the first project someone did. Has unlimited potential.


http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2400876,00.asp

 

I still believe that keyboard and mouse is still the most convenient and fast way to interface with a computer, maybe with a tad of voice control, but only a little, and I don't do that.

I tried Windows voice control in the past and I wasn't happy at how I had to slow my rhythm down when I had to issue a voice control and then speed up again.
Though control, on the other hand would be more convenient.

The same goes for gaming. On a console, nothing is more accurate and responsive than a gamepad, let alone the tiredness that comes after half an hour of hand waving.

Other applications, however, are benefited from visual control.

 

I counted 95 keys on my keyboard, and that's without a number pad.

That's 95 different inputs which are easily and quickly definable by both human and computer. Stick just two keys together and you can almost double that capability.

IMO, I don't ever see visual interfaces replacing a mouse and keyboard on what we now call computers and laptops. It's more of a limitation of the human body that the computer - how many clearly different facial expressions and movements can you make whilst sitting down?

I can imagine a call centre with a hundred people doing yoga positions to create a spreadsheet...

Saying that, I believe Kinect is an important stepping stone. In the near future, I can see it being used in seperate 'gadgets', but who knows what the 'computers' of the future will be? A few decades ago, computers were massive machines which took up a room. Now you can sit down in a cafe and communicate with people from Japan.

In a few decades, or centuries computers might exist in another dimension (sounds crazy but so does Skype to a Tudor).

 

I still believe that keyboard and mouse is still the most convenient and fast way to interface with a computer, maybe with a tad of voice control, but only a little, and I don't do that.

IMO, I don't ever see visual interfaces replacing a mouse and keyboard on what we now call computers and laptops.

Obviously neither of you have played "Just Dance" using the Kinect.

Every day I'm shufflin'...

 

Ernie, you are a legend.

A real belly laugh.

 

I wouldn't say it would replace keyboards but HTC's voice recognition is near 99.999% accurate. So typeing would be replaced by voice recognition. It would be more like macro's. Where to close a window you could just make a x with your forarms. Scroll down turn your hand to the side and move it up or down, Click a button just simulate it. Buttons are gonna be bigger and I see video's of WIN 8 that support my theory that MS is gonna go witha kinect GUI. It asks you yes or no. You just shake your head or say yes or no. You want volume up or down just give a thumbs up or down. Want to mute it just cover your ears. Want switch windows just simulate grabing the window and moving it to the side. Want to delete something just grab it and simulate crumbling a peice of paper. The technologies there its just who's gonna implement it first.

Then think to ST4 and scotty picking up the mouse and saying "Hello Computer!"
Also watch Minority Report if you haven't seen it. It uses a lot of the GUI idea's I'm talking about but were already ahead of them in gui TECH.

 

I agree that Android voice recognition has come a long way in just a couple years. Used to be you had to speak slowly with little background noise.

Now I can hit the headset button, say "call boss mobile 1", and I'm connected, even with background noise.

When doing things like text messages, it's also pretty good in getting rid of the txt spk abbv, though when straying from "common words", you get some odd results. I'm presuming it takes all the data used for voice, finds the corrected words, and they tweak their database of English continually. The phone also tends to remember odd words you use often and they show up in suggestions, while when the phone is new, they don't.

 

The big problem with most voice recognition on PC is people don't train it right. You read paragraphs to train the PC to understand your voice. The key is don't read it like a book, read it like your normally talking to someone. Do that and your accuracy will be much better, eliminate background noise when possible. But honestly with Kinect monitoring and reading your lips, and a mic picking up your voice, I don't think it will be hard at all. So then you actually have two forms of voice recoginition. 1. Lip reading by kinect, 2. sound with a mic. And believe me I have some deaf friends and lip reading ain't that hard.