Sure, can talk to your iPhone with Siri. But what if you could wave to it as well?  It appears like you will be able to do just that sometime in the future. From the latest info available via a patent application from Apple, we have got hints of a new 3D GUI for iOS mobile devices.

Just in case you aren’t with Apple’s 3D intentions, they started to explore the world of 3D GUIs back in 2009. It was in 2010 that we saw 3D GUI making its appearance on iOS devices.  Now, they are going even deeper into the tech. Their latest unveiled patent involves controlling a 3D interface using motion-based gestures.

Now, we don’t have say too much about the act of controlling a device using gestures. Microsoft’s Kinect is a very good example and new products have already arrived. But all those are meant to be enjoyed from the comfort of your home in front of a television with a big screen.  Remember that Kinect-like technology we saw 2 CES’s ago? Well, that’s sort of what we’re talking about here.  How would a  3D GUI work you ask? On an iOS device such as the iPhone, which comes with a small screen size, Apple will be making use of proximity sensor arrays. The readings from the sensors are translated into movement on the screen. Your hovering gesture will be detected and the UI will respond to it moving the objects within the 3D GUI.

Do you think that bringing 3D GUI to an iOS device will be a good idea? Or would it just make you look a little crazy?

The post Apple Patent Reveals Possible iPhone 5 3D Gesture UI appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Right now XBOX 360’s Kinect is easily one of the hottest consumer technologies on the market, but the Hoshino Biological Cybernetics Lab at Tsukuba University have managed to take it a step further with their concept at the 3D Expo. The system developed uses a series of cameras that sees and recognizes the shape and positioning of a person’s hands, and in turn manipulates a robotic arm to mimic the movements. But it does not just copy the movements, the system can estimate precise finger shapes at over 100 times per second so the movements are surgically precise and respond in nearly real-time. From here, the team at Hoshino Labs are planning to enhance the systems finger movement recognition and upgrade it for future 3D display devices which will demand gesture-based interactions for user input.

“This system uses two cameras, to recognize how the person’s hands and arms move and what shape they’ve taken. Based on the results, signals are output to the robot, and the robot moves in the same way as the person. There’s hardly any time-lag, and the movements are extremely accurate. Human hands vary greatly among individuals, and we’ve created a database that includes a huge number of different peoples hands. We’ve developed technology that can find the hands that most closely resemble those in front of the cameras, at high speed, with high precision. Most gesture recognition systems detect the position, orientation, and movement of hands. But our system can detect and recognize what shapes hands take as well.”

This is the start of things to come, and could robot fighting, or microscopic robotic doctors be really that far away?

[DigiInfo via Hoshino Cybernetics Lab]

The post Gesture-driven robotic arm narrows the gap for 3D virtual user interfaces appeared first on Mobile Magazine.