Think touchscreens are cool? What about touchskins? Skinscreens? However you decide to coin the term, Chris Harrison – former
intern with Microsoft Research and “Skinput” developer – wants the process of navigating personal technology *literally* in the palm of your hand.
If you’re confused (or scared), here’s how “Skinput” works: with the help of an arm-mounted pico-projector and a Bluetooth connection, the palm and forearm of the user’s body becomes the navigation center of their phone, MP3 player, or other personal technology item. Keyboards/keypads are projected onto the user’s skin which, in turn, respond to touch/tap motions. While touch is a key component to the function of “Skinput,” much of the accuracy lies in its ability to distinguish between specific, inaudible sounds generated by particular motions in the skin and bone of one’s arm.
In addition to the keyboard projection, “Skinput” also responds to various hand gestures, all of which can be programmed per desired function – tap fingers together to answer phone calls, rotate your wrist to scroll up and down, close your fist to exit programs, etc.
According to Harrison, “Skinput” has been under development and testing for the past 8 months, but won’t be commercially available for another 2 to 7 years. Keep an eye – or an arm – out.
And Mr. Jobs called his device “magical”?
[Courtesy of CNN.com]
