How long will it be before your computer is able to read your facial expressions? Will a rude gesture become the next Control-Alt-Delete? ZDNet Australia investigates computing interfaces.
It's generally accepted that the last substantial change in user interfaces happened in the mid 1980s when Apple launched the Macintosh, bringing the WIMP (windows, icons, menus, pointer) or GUI (graphical user interface) to the mass market. The arrival of Windows 3.0 in the early 1990s cemented the shift, but since then all we've seen is incremental improvementâ€"some say incremental change, arguing that not all the differences constitute improvements.
The science fiction vision of computer systems with advanced user interfaces seems as far off as ever: Clarke and Kubrick's HAL is certainly not last year's model! But is this implied criticism really fair?
The future has a way of creeping up without us noticing. For example, the styling of many contemporary cars bears a strong resemblance to the -cars of the future" that were touted in the 1960s and '70s. And while in-car navigation systems are rarely standard equipment, as an option or aftermarket accessory they cost less than many people spend on audio gear.
Similarly, various -futuristic" user interfaces such as virtual reality and speech recognition might not be part of the everyday desktop computing experience, but they have found niches in the IT ecosystem.
Virtual Reality
Although immersive VR hasn't taken off in the form visualised by novelists and moviemakers, Alan Ryner, SGI's marketing and business development manager for Australia and New Zealand, says it has become a basic part of the infrastructure in certain industries.
-The two industries that have really adopted virtual reality are defence, and mining, oil, and gas exploration," he says. For example, virtual reality models built from seismic data are used to collaboratively investigate drilling options. In the military world, command and control systems manage huge amounts of data that are best represented visually.
Some sections of manufacturing are also using VR in a big way. Ryner explains that the automotive industry started by simulating car crashes (to the extent that some models aren't physically crash-tested), moved on to styling projects in VR, and then took design a step further by checking that the necessary assembly and disassembly tasks will be possible.
It sounds obvious, but it was only when a new motorcycle model went into production at a once-major manufacturer that anyone noticed that a fully assembled engine couldn't be mounted in the frame.
Using VR for design makes it easier for Australian companies to play globally, Ryner says. Teams in New York, Melbourne, and London can all collaborate on the same data set, resulting in a quicker time to market. -It's become core infrastructure," he says.
Among the emerging markets for VR is "hazard perception and situation awareness," Ryner says. Derived from military work such as dogfight simulations, the idea is to provide an interactive environment for training as that improves retention. Unlike traditional flight and driving simulators, these systems aren't limited to the physics of the situation but also model the behaviour of the people in the system.
The State Rail Authority of NSW has purchased such a system to train railway staff, and the Queensland Police is using the technology for inspector level training in seige situations. Other applications are being considered including mine accidents and bushfires.
One reason for using VR in analytical situations is that people tend to be scared of large quantities of data. That said, senior people aren't always comfortable with new ways of presentation, Ryner says, but the "Nintendo generation" is different. This can be seen in the military, he says, where today's generals are not comfortable with an AI-backed avatar advising them which pieces of available information are most relevant, but tomorrow's generals will be. Another interesting observation about younger people is that they accept lower visual fidelity without questioning the accuracy of the underlying simulation or VR model.
