[From TechNewsDaily via MSNBC; a 0:57 minute video is here]

‘Imaginary’ interface could replace real thing

Screen, even keyboard, for mobile devices might be supported by gestures

By Adam Hadhazy, TechNewsDaily Staff Writer
June 8, 2010

Researchers are experimenting with a new interface system for mobile devices that could replace the screen and even the keyboard with gestures supported by our visual memory.

Called Imaginary Interfaces, the German project uses a small, chest-mounted computer and camera to detect hand movements. Unlike Tony Stark in “Iron Man,” who manipulates holographic elements in his lab with his hands, users conjure up their own imaginary set of graphical interfaces. For example, people can manually draw shapes and select points in space that have programmed functions, such as a power switch or a “send” key, for example.

This interface could allow people to use gestures during phone calls, much as they do in face-to-face conversations, while eliminating traditional hardware elements.… read more. “‘Imaginary’ interface could replace screen and keyboard”

[From Fox News]

Octavia the Android, a Real-Life Rosie the Robot

By John R. Quain
Published May 26, 2010

She has an expressive, alabaster face, a delicate touch — and two wheels where her feet should be.

She is Octavia, a brand new robot designed to improve interactions with humans. And at the annual Fleet Week in New York City, the Navy is bringing its débutante out of the lab.… read more. “Octavia the android, a real-life Rosie the Robot”

[From CNN]

Kids experiment with ‘video playdates’

By John D. Sutter, CNN
June 11, 2010

(CNN) — At first, Ella didn’t really understand Skype.

Don’t get all tech-elitist on her, though. She was only 1.

Back then, Ella would do silly things like try to hand her grandmother stickers through the computer screen during video chats, says her mother, Robin Riggs.

But now, at age 2, Ella has come a long way. She understands now that her grandparents are five hours away, looking at her through a webcam, Riggs said. “She knows the noise the computer makes when Mimi and Papa are calling,” she said. “She runs over to it excited.”

In fact, Ella’s gotten so good with this technology that she’s embarking on a new level of video-conference sophistication:

Skype playdates with toddler peers.

“We’ve called her cousins a couple times that actually live down the street,” Riggs said, adding that the weather was bad at the time in Wilmington, North Carolina, where they live, so a trip down the block would have been more difficult than dialing them up online.… read more. “Kids experiment with ‘video playdates’”

[From TechNewsDaily; a 0:49 video is here; the Wearable Absence web site is here]

‘Smart’ Clothing Responds to Wearer’s Emotions

By Michelle Bryner, TechNewsDaily Contributor
08 June 2010

High-tech clothing with embedded biosensors and an Internet connection could respond to your mood and help you get through the day.

The new “smart” clothing contains wireless biosensors that measure heart rate and temperature (among other physiological indicators), small speakers, and other electronics that wirelessly connect to a handheld smartphone or PDA. Data from the sensors is sent to the handheld where it is converted into one of 16 emotional states, which cues a previously setup database to send the wearer some inspirational message.

These “mood memos” could be a text message, which scrolls on a display on the garment’s sleeve, a video or photograph displayed on the handheld device, or a sound that comes through the embedded speakers.… read more. “‘Smart’ clothing responds to wearer’s emotions by bringing others close”

[From The Associated Press via National Public Radio; the Kokoro web site is here]

Eyes Flashing, Robot Conducts Wedding In Tokyo

by The Associated Press
TOKYO May 16, 2010

Almost everyone stood when the bride walked down the aisle in her white gown, but not the wedding conductor, because she was bolted to her chair.

The nuptials at this ceremony were led by “I-Fairy,” a 4-foot (1.5-meter) tall seated robot with flashing eyes and plastic pigtails. Sunday’s wedding was the first time a marriage had been led by a robot, according to manufacturer Kokoro Co.… read more. “I-Fairy robot conducts wedding in Tokyo”