Archive for April 2nd, 2009
More Education Ideas
Posted by Tom Carpenter in Steal This AR Idea! on April 2nd, 2009
I had a few more iPhone AR apps I thought would be fun for my kids (and any other) and sneak in some learing at the same time.
1) The Great Habitat Hunter – kids go outside to find either fauna, insects or birds (a different app for each one). They take a picture of the target, and are presented with a list of possibilities. They pick which one it is (maybe object recognition would be enough to tell), then are given a few facts about the target. The target flower, or insect, or bird data could be uploaded to a database collecting all the information; and the kids could see aggregate data based on the information in fun charts and graphs. For example, migration patterns of birds could be tracked.
The kids would be given points for “hunting” the targets and bonus points for finding rare species. In addition, the data could be used by scientists.
2) Road Trip Buddy – Questions about the locations passed along the highway would keep the kids entertained and teach them geography lessons. We often play this game with our kids on trips, but we usually run out of questions quickly.
If you want to read the other ideas you can find them in this previous post. And if you use an idea, don’t forget to give me credit and send me a free app.
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The Brain-Computer Interface
Posted by Tom Carpenter in augmented reality, digital singularity on April 2nd, 2009
Aspirin stocks up. Logitech stocks down.
My carpal tunnel can’t wait for mind controlled computers, but I’ll probably only trade my Logitech mouse for a headache. Today scientists at the Honda Research Institute unveiled a robot controlled by thought alone.
In the video a large control unit behind the BMI user shows more finite control requires more processing power. But lesser degrees of freedom can be achieved with simpler systems like this simple game called the Mindflex or the Neural Impulse Actuator.
See the NIA in action in this video:
Either way you look at it, mind controlled computer systems are becoming more feasible by the year. While these three applications are cumbersome by all reports, they will be improved bit-by-bit over the years until they are a more seamless control system. If the system can be made small and unobtrusive enough, then AR glasses will have the controls to keep us all from looking like idiots waving our hands in front of our faces.
Popularity: 2% [?]
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