Not long after Elon Musk announced on Twitter that he created a UI similar to Iron Man’s Jarvis, Robbie Tilton presented his own version of a gesture controlled interface in the form of a hologram.
Elon Musk and his team have reportedly built rocket parts and then 3D printed them in titanium using the said gesture control interface. Still, the world has yet to see both the UI and the things built with it. In the meantime, Robbie Tilton proved that you don’t have to be a billionaire to invent impressive concepts. When building his gesture controlled hologram, Tilton compensated for his lack of billions with creativity and engineering skills.
Tilton built this gesture-based interface as part of his thesis for the NYU ITP (New York University Interactive Telecommunications Program). Basically, what he did is a modern take on the Pepper’s ghost illusion technique or re-imaging process. Tilton showcased his experiment in a room with just about 100 listeners, while Elon Musk would have a much bigger audience. What this man has demonstrated is that sci-fi concepts that we see in modern movies don’t have to remain concepts, and that there’s actually the possibility of recreating these in real life.
The gesture controlled hologram is projected with four cameras on the walls of a Plexiglas reversed pyramid that acts as a prism. Software-wise, the project is based on three.js, a Javascript API library that is typically used for creating and displaying 3D computer graphics in a web browser. Tilton also made use of Leap Motion to
Obviously, gesture controlled user interfaces have their own downsides, and Tilton was fair enough during his keynote to emphasize this aspect, as well.
Furthermore, Tilton intends to implement gesture controls into such devices as Google Glass. In other words, if you see a lot of people making funny gestures on the street while using wearable tech, you’ll know whose fault it is.
I’m excited to see such technological advancements, even if the concepts won’t make their way to the common folks for years to come. Yet, people such as Robbie Tilton tend to demonstrate that not even the most far-fetched concept are not impossible to build. As an old saying goes, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” I only hope that this man gets the funding necessary for taking things even further.
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