Scientists developed the so-called X-Y position display for monitor systems all the way back in the 60s. That breakthrough begat the mouse, which gained dominance in the ’80s. It has remained the number one user input device ever since.
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Yet new developments are nibbling away at the rodent’s lead. More and more displays are designed using touchscreens. Computers are learning to take voice commands. New sensors are even allowing controls to be given via gestures.
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After years of quiet, a series of new user interface technologies have achieved market readiness, say the IT market researchers at Gartner, a US-based technology research firm. That includes Microsoft’s Surface computer employing multi touch technology and the controls on Nintendo’s Wii console.
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Project Natal is Microsoft’s codename for a system featuring a camera with a depth sensor, microphone, and built-in processor. It is rumored to be coming to the Xbox gaming console in the near future. The device will not just be able to interpret gestures, Microsoft has indicated, but will also be able to transfer speech and pantomimed actions onto the screen, regardless of the lighting. Many game developers have already announced plans to work with the new user interface.
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The Natal approach is extremely important, says Franz Koller, general director at the consulting firm User Interface Design in Ludwigsburg, Germany. The system permits a new degree of freedom: For example, I can point to an object and tell it what I want to do, he says.
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The experts warn against overly high expectations, though. We’ll be using the mouse for a while yet, Koller says. Nintendo’s Wii remote has also been exceptionally well received by gamers. Even so it’s unlikely I’ll ever want to do my bookkeeping using a Wii remote control, says Koller.
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Koller believes instead that more and more future devices will offer a user interface…