What is Lexan?

LEXAN is a registered trademark for General Electric's brand of highly durable polycarbonate resin thermoplastic intended to replace glass where the need for strength justifies its higher cost. It is a polycarbonate polymer produced by reacting Bisphenol A with carbonyl chloride, also known as phosgene. Lexan is the brand name for polycarbonate sheet in thicknesses from 0.75 mm (0.03 in) to 12 mm (0.48 in). Applications are mainly in three domains — building (glazing and domes), industry (machine protection and fabricated parts) and communication and signage.

Lexan polycarbonate is one of the most widely known "plastics". Lexan sheet with its unique combination of high impact strength, flame retardancy, and thermoformability makes it ideally suited for security applications. No other plastic can match Lexan's combination of light transmittance (clarity), and the ability to withstand extreme impact.

In thicknesses of .125", Lexan 9034 sheet will transmit 86% of the light. Lexan 9034 is UV stabilized, has a heat deflection temperature of 270 degrees F at 264 PSI, and has a smoke density rating less than 75. Lexan 9034 is engineered for window glazing as well as for sign applications. In addition to colorless (clear), Lexan 9034 is available in solar gray and bronze in thicknesses from .080" to .500".

How Does a Touchscreen Work?

A basic touchscreen has three main components: a touch sensor, a controller, and a software driver. The touchscreen is an input device, so it needs to be combined with a display and a PC or other device to make a complete touch input system.

1. Touch Sensor
A touch screen sensor is a clear glass panel with a touch responsive surface. The touch sensor/panel is placed over a display screen so that the responsive area of the panel covers the viewable area of the video screen. There are several different touch sensor technologies on the market today, each using a different method to detect touch input. The sensor generally has an electrical current or signal going through it and touching the screen causes a voltage or signal change. This voltage change is used to determine the location of the touch to the screen.

2. Controller
The controller is a small PC card that connects between the touch sensor and the PC. It takes information from the touch sensor and translates it into information that PC can understand. The controller is usually installed inside the monitor for integrated monitors or it is housed in a plastic case for external touch add-ons/overlays. The controller determines what type of interface/connection you will need on the PC. Integrated touch monitors will have an extra cable connection on the back for the touchscreen. Controllers are available that can connect to a Serial/COM port (PC) or to a USB port (PC or Macintosh). Specialized controllers are also available that work with DVD players and other devices.

3. Software Driver
The driver is a software update for the PC system that allows the touchscreen and computer to work together. It tells the computer's operating system how to interpret the touch event information that is sent from the controller. Most touch screen drivers today are a mouse-emulation type driver. This makes touching the screen the same as clicking your mouse at the same location on the screen. This allows the touchscreen to work with existing software and allows new applications to be developed without the need for touchscreen specific programming. Some equipment such as thin client terminals, DVD players, and specialized computer systems either do not use software drivers or they have their own built-in touch screen driver.

Touchscreens Add-ons and Integrated Touchscreen Monitors

We offer two main types of touchscreen products, touchscreen add-ons and integrated touchscreen monitors. Touchscreen add-ons are touchscreen panels that hang over an existing computer monitor. Integrated touchscreen monitors are computer displays that have the touchscreen built-in. Both product types work in the same way, basically as an input device like a mouse or trackpad.

Touchscreens As Input Device

All of the touchscreens that we offer basically work like a mouse. Once the software driver for the touchscreen is installed, the touchscreen emulates mouse functions. Touching the screen is basically the same as clicking your mouse at the same point at the screen. When you touch the touchscreen, the mouse cursor will move to that point and make a mouse click. You can tap the screen twice to perform a double-click, and you can also drag your finger across the touchscreen to perform drag-and-drops. The touchscreens will normally emulate left mouse clicks. Through software, you can also switch the touchscreen to perform right mouse clicks instead.

Human-Computer Interaction

The following inventory of topics contains representative entries relating to all of these aspects of the design and analysis of human-computer interaction systems. This inventory is a current snapshot of topics on which there are results that could be taught. In addition to direct HCI topics, we have included in this inventory results from other disciplines central enough to be taught within courses in HCI. Such a list cannot hope to be complete or even non-controversial, but it should be heuristically useful in the practical business of preparing courses.

FIGURE 1. Human-Computer Interaction

Helm 1.0 - Design Proposal by Ezra

Helm 1.0 is the future of web browsers and e-infotainment. Combing the common objects we have today the helmet is a container for our everyday com devices. Communication, location, news, geopolitical information, web browsing, and the ultimate avatar – Helm 1.0 will be the vehicle where all this technology meets.

Helmet Function:

Helm 1.0 is the future of web browsers and e-infotainment. Combing the common objects we have today the Helm 1.0 is a container for our everyday com devices. Communication, location, news, geopolitical information, web browsing, and the ultimate avatar – Helm 1.0 will be the vehicle where all this technology meets.

Helmet Design:

Avatars are a big part of internet communities in today’s environment, and the user can change their avatar to suit their mood. Helm 1.0 will be the same with changeable technology to represent the users mood and motif on the fly. It will be the ultimate avatar to hide behind. A complete covering of the persona with a projected psuedo-persona.

Sustainability:

In a future where sustainability is a key issue, and packaging is a major problem – Helm 1.0 is the answer for a long term packaging solution into which consumer products can be inserted. Be they the latest software patch, or the latest hardware upgrade board, Helm 1.0 will house them all, with a minimum need for replacement.

Precedents:

Avatar Machine by Marc Owens

Daft Punk Helmets made for their music video

Duke University

These Duke University students used an i-glasses HMD to view video from a camera mounted on a remote controlled car. With gear purchased from our company (i-glasses, motion tracker and camcorder attachment), the intention of their design project was to create a remotely guided vehicle that, by movements of the head only, controls the vehicle's direction and speed. Click here to read more about their project.

3D Digital Movie Technology

Experience the Full Impact of 3D Digital Movie Technology! You don't need to be a professional videographer to appreciate the unparalleled image quality that these video glasses provide.

The two individual LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screens offer crystal clear, 1.44 million pixel images to each eye, for Flicker-Free 3D video viewing on a virtual, Giant-Sized, theater screen, while deep, rich, stereo sound is provided by the adjustable headphones built into the temples of the eyewear. Integrate your i-glasses with the latest in wireless video technology for even greater versatility and truly unrestricted freedom.

• Winner: 2003 Positive Image News (PIN) Award
• "i-O Display Systems was one of the first companies to make a consumer priced Personal Display System (i-glasses) and they still offer the best technology at the lowest price" - Digital Living Today

Find out for yourself why the award winning i-glasses are used by NASA, the US Navy, Medical Research Teams, Law Enforcement Agencies and Healthcare Professionals in the U.S. and abroad.

Links for more information: See how HMD Technology is being used by - NASA and US armed forces personnel - Dentists - Doctors and Research Teams - Hobbyists and Simulators.

For 2D or 3D Applications the i-glasses VIDEO 3D Pro is: the Clear Choice for Video Professionals.

Comes with Composite and S-Video Cables, and a US Power Supply (100V A/C input, 9V D/C output) (part #502415). For foreign orders, we include an International Plug Adapter Kit (part #502297). An optional Lithium Battery & Charger Bundle (#501739) may be purchased separately. See Available Options below.

Eye-Theatre video glasses for iPod

Review I've wanted to try a truly personal video system - forgot the clunky VR headsets of yesteryear - since I first saw one faked up on Blake's 7 in the late 1970s. Watching a movie on an iPod means holding the player up to your face for hours at a time. It would be so much better to clip on a pair of video specs, sit back and relax...

The Eye-Theatre comprises a chunky, sci-fi styled front piece - it's all silver and blue paint - with a pair of hinged, ear-rests that look not unlike the ones you find on those Oakley MP3 sunglasses. The earphones are on thin wires, partially coiled for greater elasticity, with the earpieces themselves cleverly docked into retainers at end of each arm - just push them up or down gently to release them.

In front of each eye is a lens. Behind each lens is a 320 x 240 LCD. The optics are aligned to ensure that when worn the two images coincide into a single one that's the equivalent of how a 50in TV looks when you're 2.5m away from it, the manufacturer claims. Maybe, but it's not much bigger than a PMP screen held a foot or so from your face.

The front section rests on your nose - comfortably, thanks to a rubber pad - and hard-fixed to the base of the glasses is the power and signal cable. The other end of this plugs into the dual-function battery and control unit. This black rectangular block is clunky and could sport a more effective design, but it fits comfortably enough in the hand. There's a on-off switch and a volume control. The input and output ports are both on one end, though they're completely different so no one's going to plug the input into the output and vice versa.

The fixed 500mAh battery's recharged via a USB cable - there's one in the box - but the battery end has a standard AC adaptor pin-out, so you could use a separate adaptor too. Input cables include a 5G iPod adaptor and a separate composite-video cable, though the latter's terminated in female connectors, so you may need to buy a male-to-male cable to connect the device up to DVD players, set-top boxes, games consoles and the like.

At 68g the EyeTheatre isn't heavy, I found, but some who tried it did feel it was a little too weighty. One thing you do have to watch are the arm hinges. One of the ones on the review unit broke while I was opening the arms out to put the Eye-Theatre on. So little pressure was applied, I suspect the plastic was already cracked, but the breakage revealed how thin is the plastic that connects the hinge to the main body of the Eye-Theatre. If you buy one of these, don't treat it roughly.

As I say, the Eye-Theatre's looks are a little too archly sci-fi, but there's no doubt the unit works as advertised. Connect it up to a 5G iPod - you'll need to set the player to send video to its AV port, built into the earphone socket - and there are your videos in all their stereo audio glory.

iWEAR

STEP 5 Choose your iWEAR

Video iWear offers you a 50" virtual screen that fit like a pair of glasses. The Video iWear is ultra lightweight, weighing a mere 4.0 ounces. With built in earphones, an 8 hour rechargeable Lithium ion battery pack, iPod & DVD adapters, and the included wall charger, you get every thing you need to enjoy movies, music videos, cartoons, and podcasts

The iWEAR comes with everything you need including: stereo vision eyewear with integrated stereo earphones, two comfortable nose pieces for a custom fit, rechargeable lithium ion battery with up to 8 hours of play time, A/C wall charger, RCA video cable and iPod video cable…and it’s all available at price hundreds less than similar products.

iWEAR Pack2

Designed exclusively for use with your Apple iPod, iWear includes revolutionary new features and benefits that make it the hottest must-have accessory for video iPod owners!

No more small screen viewing here; iWear projects a virtual 44" screen creating a movie theatre experience that fits in the palm of your hand and weighs in at a mere 4 ounces. The exceptionally lightweight and sleek design coupled with a user adjustable nosepiece and removable, flexible headphones guarantees maximum comfort. iWear plugs directly into the iPod bottom dock connector which it also powers off of so there are no messy power cords or bulky battery packs to get in your way. Additionally, your iPod's battery life will remain the same as if you were using the iPod screen. Independent focus adjusters allow iWear users to compensate from +2 to -5 diopters through quick and easy tuning; however prescription eyeglasses or contacts can still be worn in conjunction with iWear.

You can now enjoy your favorite 2D movies, TV shows, Podcasts, music videos and slide shows in-style and with excellent quality. iWear also offers privacy so you no longer have to worry about someone looking over your shoulder. Best of all, amazing 3D content is available for a stunning 3D viewing experience.

With powerful high-resolution displays and great mobility, iWear offers you the Big Picture on the go!

Group announcement

Group D:

Signý
Pip
Mike
Ezra

Planning for the break:

-Buy the extra parts that I need for my prototype:
Sandpaper, 400 grit and 800 grit - Available at hardware store
Brass Polish - Available at hardware store
8 x 10 sheet of Lexan standard thickness (0.85) - Available at hardware store
8ft strip of "Tile Divider" - Available at hardware store
-Build my final prototype
-Create a video to document my project.

Make an infrared lens for my webcam:

What do I have to buy?
-some black processed film (the black bit at the end of old negatives). This is the key element as unexposed (black) processed film is visually opage but IR transparent
- a square of hard plastic cover (from a file, or book), the thinner the better, as it is easier to cut, but fairly rigid and slightly larger than your camera's objective.

My prototype is under under construction

This is my prototype, I used a black cardboard to construct the element. There is a plastic photo frame at the top, which is going to hold the "touchscreen". Those little playmo figures are mend to show how the water reacts when someone walks on it.

sketch of my final product

THE HIDDEN CUPBOARD. (Project 3 - Proposal 1)

Numbers in the Dark

“It was the hidden side of everything that intrigued me, the hidden side of houses, the hidden side of gardens, the hidden side of streets, the hidden side of towns, the hidden side of televisions, the hidden side of dishwashers, the hidden side of the sea, the hidden side of the moon. But when I managed to get to that hidden side, I realized that what I was looking for was the hidden side of the hidden side... Sometimes, at the back of the mirror, behind my reflection, I thought I saw a presence I wasn’t quick enough to identify and which immediately hid. I tried to study not myself in the mirror but the world behind me: nothing caught my attention. I was about to turn away when, there, I would see it peep out from the opposite side of the mirror… I left the mirror and started to look for the spot where I’d seen the presence disappear… I aimed at where I planned to get to, I concentrated my strength, I tensed my will, but my point of arrival was departing… Corinna said: ‘It’s when it relaxes that the bow releases the arrow, but to do that it must first be properly tensed.’ ”

Italo Calvino: "The Mirror, the Target", Numbers in the Dark 1996.

I want to create a cupboard which is on a wall, it opens up with sensors and lights up with LED’s. The interface is should be a mirror and you are not supposed to see that it’s a cupboard. When you are looking at yourself, get closer and try to touch it, it opens and behind you have got 3 shelfs to keep your secrets. The cupboard would be ideal for spaces such as bathrooms it would be placed above the sink and used for toiletries.

When you touch the right side of the mirror, it goes under the left one and you can see 3 selves. Those three selves were hidden behind the mirror and can be used for your secrets or your toiletries. When the cupboard opens up there will be LED´s that light up the selves.





Furthermore I would like to see what is hidden behind my face?

The mirror on the hidden cupboard would be interacted, it would be possible to peel of the skin and see what is under, peel of the mussels and see whats under then end up only seeing the bones and the teeth. The user would be able to reconstruct his face and swap parts with another user in front of the mirror.

This video inspired me:

LED Faucet Light

"This design is ideal to go with my hidden cupboard in the bathroom!"

Signý

Tired of the same old water? Need a little pick me up & some more excitement in your life? Well then, look no further than the LED Faucet Light.

Turn any home faucet into a streaming blue lagoon of fun with this crafty LED Faucet Light. Just attach this little blue guy to the end of your faucet (adapters included) and when the water hits the chamber, voila- it turns blue by using the LED light.

No harmful things will come your way using the LED Faucet Light, just good old fashioned fun & frivolity.

Here is a link to this page.

Tokyo Digital World

Researchers use tooth power to control gadgets

August 13th, 2007

Compulsive tooth grinders might want to look away now if they don’t wish to be reminded of their headache-inducing torment, for Osaka University in Japan has come up with a human-machine interface that is controlled by grinding the molars together.

The idea behind the research [Subscription link] was to create a simple switching system for people unable to use their hands properly or at all. The result is a hair band with infrared sensors that detect motion in the muscles of the temples caused by pressing the rearmost teeth together.

A computer decides if the muscles have generated the movement pattern unique to tooth grinding and sends a signal to the connected device if they have. Errors are minimized by the fact that talking or eating generate completely different muscle movements.

While the technique could eventually be used for controlling electric wheelchairs, it is currently limited to switching a CD player on and off. The team hopes to expand that to cover more of the player’s functions, then to checking email on a mobile phone before tackling more complex control systems.

Interactive iBar

iBar is a system for the interactive design of any bar-counter. Integrated video-projectors can project any content on the milky bar-surface. The intelligent tracking system of iBar detects all objects touching the surface. This input is used to let the projected content interact dynamically with the movements on the counter. Objects can be illuminated at their position or virtual objects can be "touched" with the fingers.

The iBar system is ready to be installed completely into any kind of bar-counter, there's no need for any further installations on the ceiling or something like that. The software is flexible and can be adjusted and enhanced.

Virtual Canoe

Virtual Canoe is a real-time water simulator with a database of 3D fluid dynamics. The system introduces realistic and interactive water into virtual worlds with haptic characteristics that enhance interaction.

The system combines a pre-computed database and a real-time simulation to establish a realistic waveform. The real-time component is a wave-function simulator that transmits water pressure and velocity. The database provides a force pattern for a point on an object's surface at a constant input velocity. The pressure from the database affects the velocity of the water in the real-time wave simulation, which keys the query to the database. This enables the system to create a realistic waveform. It carefully decomposes the original Navier-Stokes equation into a simple real-time function and a complex pre-computed function considering the area and the phenomena.
Vision.

Video.
Virtual Canoe will be presented at the upcoming Siggraph conference.

Illness distracted my work.

I was sick for 6 days and was not able to get any work done. During this week I had planned to get the rest of the parts that I need and start on my model. Instead I need to make a prototype of the model to show scale and how it is going to look visually. I had done everything else on the check list so that is a positive thing.

Interactive Multitouch Display

Theory of operation

This multi touch display screen design is based on the description in Jeff Han's paper,

Han, J. Y. 2005. Low-Cost Multi-Touch Sensing through Frustrated Total Internal Reflection.

In Proceedings of the 18th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology

The figure below comes from his web site.

An acrylic panel is edge lit with infrared leds. When your finger comes in contact with the acrylic, it scatters infrared light out the back where it is visible via infrared camera. As long as nothing is touching the acrylic, very little of the light escapes, instead just reflecting around inside. Image processing takes care of detecting tips of fingers and relaying their location to application software. Since the camera "reads" the whole display in parallel, it is easy to detect multiple fingertips at once, even those belonging to multiple users. All this sensing goes on in the infrared spectrum, leaving us free to utilize the visible spectrum to display interactive software.

Parts and preparation

Tools:
hacksaw
knife
cordless drill and drill bits
soldering iron
T-Square

Materials:
Webcam (Phillips SP900 Recommended) - Available for purchase on the web
Windows PC (sorry Atari, the vvvv toolkit is Windows-only.)
4.3 x 4.3 mm Infrared (aka nightvision) lens - Available for purchase on the web

Infrared LED's (SFH485 recommended)
A power supply (output 3.3v DC at 220mA recommended) - Available at most hobby/craft shops
Fast setting crazy glew (any brand, and get it in a brush on bottle) - Available at most hobby/craft shops

Sandpaper, 400 grit and 800 grit - Available at hardware store
Brass Polish - Available at hardware store
8 x 10 sheet of Lexan standard thickness (0.85) - Available at hardware store
8ft strip of "Tile Divider" - Available at hardware store
A cardboard box, at least 1.5 feet tall on one side (we used 1.5' x 1' x 1') - Available at hardware store (or just laying around!)
Small bits of wire. If you don't have wire laying around, get a small spool of 20 or 22 gauge wire, in both red and black.- Available at most electronics/hobby shops

Information come from Instructables

Mini-Multitouch Interface

My interface is going to be similar to this one, there are not going to be any bubbles, only waves that form your footstep:

The Sea of Lost Time

"The Sea of Lost Time is a vast stretch of water somewhere in South America, bordering a small abandoned village, whose hard soil is cracked with saltpeter. At the bottom of the Sea there are terraces of flowers... Many years ago, during the first few nights of March, the Sea - which normally swept along refuse - started to give off a heady odour of roses. People began to return to the village, which had been almost abandoned even then."

Gabriel Garcia Marquez, "El Mar del tiempo perdido," in
La Increible y triste historia de la candida Erendira y de su abuela desalamada, Buenes Aires 1972.

The sea of lost time inspired me to think of this idea. The floor is censored and looks like water but isn’t. When a person walks on, it ripples appear where their feet touch the floor, just as if they were walking on water. It has memory for about 5 minutes.