Today we had a presentation from Vincent of Gesture Tek. I was immediately fascinated that this groundbreaking technology originally started out as a kind of personal project of Vincent's. His background as a musician, dancer and juggler inspired him to create a unique experience through the simple idea of evoking music through movement. He developed the gesture technology in order to play virtual instruments, create visuals and jam with a band. I find it amazing that an invention that was initially created for artistic and entertainment purposes has transitioned into such an important and forward thinking technology.
I'm sure that we would all agree, the most fun application that we witnessed was the virtual game. All it takes is a few seconds of standing in front of a video camera and magically we are immersed into the game itself, appearing as a character on the tv screen! With a swoop of a hand, I was shooting targets, with two swoops I was flying through the air like a superhero! I can't wait for this technology to hit the mainstream. It might just make a gamer out of me! With Sony and Microsoft already licensing this technology, hopefully I won't have too long to wait. Wii anyone?
I have to admit, I am a big fan of the floor. The Gesture FX ground floor enticed me to dance, swim, even clean (sneaky Ford and Epson, very sneaky!) Anissa and I felt that it should be in a dance club and seriously, it really should be. Vincent mentioned that it has been implemented in this fashion in clubs in Japan. As Japan is my vacation dream spot, I vow to one day find this Gesture FX ground floor club and try it out! Who wouldn't love it?
Looks like someone else thought this was a good idea a few years ago ....Siggraph 1998
The Gestpoint technology is another application that I am really excited about. As a sufferer of carpal tunnel syndrome for more than 5 years now I see this as a way to escape the keyboard and mouse at some point down the road. Although to truly find release from these binds I think that voice recognition software would have to further develop as well. Perhaps with both of these technologies working together in the mainstream...?
One of the most talked about gesture based technologies right now is Microsoft Surface. A fantastic interactive table that allows multitouch input for navigation, gaming, displays and much more. I wonder how many people know that this technology was pioneered by Gesture Tek with their Illuminate table. It is not quite fair that Microsoft is getting all the credit now is it?
I am not sure how the next multimedia pioneering presentation can compare to this. The possibilites of gesture technology are fascinating and endless. Who knows, maybe we will live the lives of the futuristic characters from Minority Report very soon.
Other interesting links: Gesture Bar, Gesture Phone
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