Microsoft have just made a mini Kinect that fits on your wrist to scan and record your hand/finger positions Pretty nifty if you ask me... To see their tech in action take a look at this video on the 'Microsofresearch' youtube channel
For me, Kinect is very cool tech'. Not only did it take a whole motion capture studio and placed it inside a box, but it's also cheap enough to be bundled with a games console... Sure, I know some will argue that it's not that accurate, but you know what - there are always those wanting to spread doubt.
This new device is why I find Kinect cool - not because of what it can do, but because of what it will do. Remember Kinect is still the first version (2nd if you count the PC version). There are other companies making similar devices - in fact, this tech is not new at all... but it's packaging and delivery to the mass market is a game changer on many levels.
In a couple of years it's likely that Kinect 2 will be out with improved accuracy, finger and face recognition. From this there will be all sorts of applications (and some social questions too - not least Health and Safety) - A revolution of sensor/positioning/gesture/scanning tech is about to happen imo and even more importantly this revolution will combine these multi-disciplines in to one single product.
From mapping our world through LIDER (Light Detection And Ranging) as I mentioned in my 'Mapping the Future blogpost on the 25th September 2012' to Disney's new Augmented Reality Cake patent (!) This can of worm's has only just been pierced. Some-one hand me a can opener! ;-)
Showing posts with label lidar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lidar. Show all posts
Tuesday, 9 October 2012
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
Mapping the future...
[ Update! Here's a link to MIT's own video showing their 'mapping monster' in action... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SY7rScDd5h8&feature=g-all-lik ]
It's amazing to me just how mapping technology has moved forwards over recent years. It wasn't long ago that technology like 'GoogleEarth/Maps' would have been considered as spying...
Now look - not only can we can view almost anywhere around the world from from space whilst in our own homes but it's overlaid with multiple layers of information. From terrain mapping to your local coffee shop... it's amazing, yet this is where we are now. What about in '10' years time?
Today it's reported that MIT have 'bolted together some' tech to allow a wearable 3D scanning mapping device. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19716723 Whilst much of the tech is quite basic combining it and making it portable opens up a whole new box of magic.
There have/are projects that combine photographs taken by mobile phones in giant global database of location based imagery. Other companies collate information to present within mapping systems, but what would (will?) happen if MIT's device one day gets miniaturised and placed inside mobile phones or a pair of Augmented Glasses? [or in the very least driven around like one of Google's photo mapping cars].
Picture if everyone way able to create a 3d model/scan of where they go - Then picture that information being collated into a giant database... A Real World Detailed 3D model of the world! Every city, street, office block, building and even the rooms inside... Even the items in the rooms!!
This would truely be revolutionary. Who would own such information? How would it be used?
If this sounds to far fetched then go back 30 years - look at the progression of the Internet, mobile devices, mapping - consider the rate of change in computing power. Consider the change between a paperback map book and our ability now, to view street photos on GoogleMaps tracked in realtime to your position... Perhaps then this will not seem a question of if, but when.
3D Maps and our connection to them is only just starting... ;-)
It's amazing to me just how mapping technology has moved forwards over recent years. It wasn't long ago that technology like 'GoogleEarth/Maps' would have been considered as spying...
Now look - not only can we can view almost anywhere around the world from from space whilst in our own homes but it's overlaid with multiple layers of information. From terrain mapping to your local coffee shop... it's amazing, yet this is where we are now. What about in '10' years time?
Today it's reported that MIT have 'bolted together some' tech to allow a wearable 3D scanning mapping device. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19716723 Whilst much of the tech is quite basic combining it and making it portable opens up a whole new box of magic.
There have/are projects that combine photographs taken by mobile phones in giant global database of location based imagery. Other companies collate information to present within mapping systems, but what would (will?) happen if MIT's device one day gets miniaturised and placed inside mobile phones or a pair of Augmented Glasses? [or in the very least driven around like one of Google's photo mapping cars].
Picture if everyone way able to create a 3d model/scan of where they go - Then picture that information being collated into a giant database... A Real World Detailed 3D model of the world! Every city, street, office block, building and even the rooms inside... Even the items in the rooms!!
This would truely be revolutionary. Who would own such information? How would it be used?
If this sounds to far fetched then go back 30 years - look at the progression of the Internet, mobile devices, mapping - consider the rate of change in computing power. Consider the change between a paperback map book and our ability now, to view street photos on GoogleMaps tracked in realtime to your position... Perhaps then this will not seem a question of if, but when.
3D Maps and our connection to them is only just starting... ;-)
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