McKenzie 1
The Journey to Advanced Human-Computer Interaction
Technologies
By Rockeish McKenzie
Abstract
Since the first computers were innovated, engineers have always strived to improve the
ways in which we interact with these innovations. Introducing the Graphic User Interface, GUI,
briefly quenched the initial desire for better human-computer interactions. During the period of
conception of the GUI, the mouse and keyboard were sufficient devices and quite fascinating, but
could be improved. Throughout the decades after the first computer, engineers developed certain
technologies, including the infrared technology that allowed computers to detect a person’s
touch, whether it is person’s finger or some other detectable stimuli touching the screen. Touch
technologies increased gradually throughout the following years and erupted in 2007. The reign
of this class of technology continues today. Engineering improvements in computers such as
speed, power, and capability has allowed the birth of even more advanced technologies such as
3D modeling programs and tools. The usage of 3D modeling programs and tools allows for
better ways to interact with computers. Motion-sensing technology may be the direction which
will provide a higher level of interactivity, creating a more natural and efficient way to interact
with ones computer.
Introduction
With computer speed becoming less
of an issue today, many engineers are now
turning their focus on improving the way we
interact with computers, eliminating the
hassles or pain-points making our lives
easier. As a result, there are many new and
emerging game-changing technologies
which help us to better interact with the
computer. This article will look at the first
GUI technologies, move on through current
technologies such as the touch-screen, and
finally peek at exciting future technologies
already in development, such as advanced
motion-sensing technologies.
Lisa
In an effort to better appreciate were
we are now, let us look at snapshots of the
first devices enabling human-computer
interaction, starting with Lisa, a long ago
introduced Apple computer. “Lisa [Local
integrated software architecture] forges a
new relationship between users and
computers. Allowing people to work in a
more natural way without having to adopt
rigid computer conventions or special
languages,” declared Apple Computer Inc.
on January 19, 1983. Lisa revolutionized the
world of computers, being the first to offer a
GUI. [1] Before Lisa, users had to type
coded languages when interacting with the
computer. Lisa’s GUI allowed users to
interact with their computers through
graphics, icons, indicators, etc. Skyrocketing
hype and anticipation for Lisa was probably
due to the ease of use it offered compared
technology of that time; but, there is always
room for improvement in any technology,
always a pain-point, always a way to
engineer something more powerful. In only
two years, Apple Inc. stopped making Lisa
and focused on the Macintosh in hopes of
engineering a more powerful computer. [2]
The theme of engineering and reengineering
computer technologies to make our lives
easier was visible in the time of Lisa and
still visible now.
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The Drive to Engineer Today
We have come a long way since the
days of Lisa. Nowadays our technologies are
much more advanced due to the countless
amounts of technological improvements that
have made it possible for a much easier
human-computer interactions.
In addition to the vast improvements
the mouse and keyboard have undergone,
there are a number of other current and
emerging technologies. These current and
emerging technologies allow for more
powerful modes of communicating with the
personal computer. In 1981, Xerox sold the
first computer with a mouse, the 8010 Star
Information System for $16, 595! The 8010
Star Information System was seen as the
next big thing when it hit the market. People
were amazed by the level of interactivity it
allowed. [3, 4] Below in figure 1 is an image
of the 8010 Star Information System.
computer, in particular, how we input
information.
The modes thought which we input
information is always being improved as a
result of new technological innovations.
One of these major innovations is the Radio
Frequency (RF) technology, which is a
method that allows two devices to
communicate wirelessly by transmitting and
receiving unique signals. A large number of
modern keyboards and mouse utilizes this
technology providing more freedom to its
users. [5] RF technology eliminates the need
for wired connection to the computer. And
even more, some computers don’t use the
mouse or keyboard. Through the use of a
touchpad on most laptops, the users are able
to interact with the computer without being
burdened by the hassles of a mouse. Directly
below is a top view of a typical the
touchpad.
Fig. 2:
Fig. 1:
http://www.digibarn.com/collections/system
s/xerox-8010/xerox-star-8010-large.jpg
Looking back from the year 2013,
one might see the Star Information System
new as only a simple computer with a
mouse, and that person’s point of view
would be understandable. This point of view
probably stems from the fact that our society
has engineered all sorts of new technologies
which have impacted the way we use the
http://www.cooklib.org/mouse/TouchpadCli
ck1.html
The touchpad uses both continuous
and discrete input signal technology to sense
the user’s fingers or multiple fingers’
position and pressure. Users can accurately
control the cursor seen on the screen via
touching the flat pad surface, having all the
functions of the mouse and more at their
fingertips. This technology was initially
engineered approximately two decades ago!
[6] Although some prefer the mouse over
touchpad, the touchpad technology has
McKenzie 3
definitely made its mark on many. Of course
the theme of engineering and reengineering
kicked in, as always. In the past few years, a
new technology has been engineered to
make our lives even better providing us with
more conveniences in terms of how we
interact with computers. This clever
technology has shattered the way we use our
devices from cell phones to the computer:
Touch-screen technology.
The Touch-screen Technology
Background
The basic ideas behind touch-screens
have been around for quite a while, but it
was not until the year 2007 that the use of
this technology exploded. In fact, the first
use of touch-screen technology was seen in
1972 when a system named PLATO IV, an
educational computer system, featured a
16×16 grid infrared touch panel for
answering questions. [7]
In order to detect a person’s touch,
mounted around the panel were infrared
sensors which essentially created a grid of
light beams across the screen not visible to
the human eye; when the screen is touched,
the beams are blocked or disrupted and the
sensors tell the machine the location of the
touch based on blocked beams. [8] The
engineering of this technology made it easier
for students to interact with computer
systems and learn more. See figure 3 for a
visual explanation of how it works.
Fig. 3: Visual Explanation Of Infrared
Technology,
http://www.phonearena.com/news/ArticleTouch-screen-technologies-inphones_id3067/page/2
Since the first actualization of the
touch-screen technology, many groups
became curious about the idea, urging
engineers to consider the possibilities and
make them happen. The touch-screen
technology, though not as advanced as it is
now, was not limited to one sector by the
turn of the century. By the early 2000s there
were was little adaptation of the technology.
In 2001 for example, the MERL
DiamondTouch, a multi-user screen table
that allowed for small group collaboration
could be seen throughout the business
sector. It made it much easier for more
efficient business and collaboration. [9]
Still, in the early 2000s, the potentials of
touch-screen technology were not yet fully
realized.
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A Rise to Popularity
It was not until 2007 when Apple
Incorporated integrated the touch-screen
technology into its iPhone that the
technology became very popular. Its release
enlightened engineers to search for ways in
which this technology could fix the many
pain-points of the world, and not too long
after, touch-screen technology exploded
everywhere. [10] Today we see touch-screen
technology in ATMs, Kindles, commercial
buildings, schools, PDAs, Smart Phones,
Cars, Cameras, Global Positioning
Systems(GPSs), Tablet Computers, video
games, desktops, laptops.
How It Works
Depending on the device
requirements and application, the
technology used for detecting touch or other
stimuli may vary, with the most common
ones being resistive, capacitive, acoustic,
infrared, dispersive signal, and optical
technologies. Though these methods vary,
common to them all is a touch responsive
surface using current and voltage principles
to communicate to the device being used.
The communication involves telling the
camera, GPS, PDAs, computers, etc, what’s
going on screen, in terms of position(s)
being touch, etc prompting the device to
react.
Here is a brief clarification of the
above methods: Resistive screens use
electrical resistors to detect touch, capacitive
screens uses changes in electric charge at
specific points to detect touch, acoustic
screens detect ultrasonic wave absorption
due to finger interference, Infrared detects
finger position based on blocked beams (as
seen in explanation of the PLATO IV
above), dispersive signal technology uses
special touch sensitive glass, and finally
optical screens depends on interference of
finger or stimuli and can be more advanced
than infrared technology. [10, 11, 12]
Having all these methods allows engineers
to innovate some very useful functions.
More than Just Touch
On the computer for example, we are
able to do much more than just touch the
screen. We are able to touch multiple points
of a website, photo, document, or anything
on the screen and resize it or manipulate it in
any reasonable way. Touch-screens can now
detect duration of touch or even pressure of
touch in order to make the computer
interactions more natural. It does not end
here. There will always be pain-points and
new solutions. Because touching a screen
could be a little annoying and irritating to
some fingers, engineers have made it
possible for users to now do a “floating
touch” through the capacitive method
mentioned above. [13] With this new
innovation, users are able to basically hover
their fingers close to the screen without
touching, eliminating the unintended
manifestations of touching: smearing the
screen, irritating ones fingers, etc. The
touch-screen technology has erupted
throughout our society and continues to be
improved. Additionally, quite a few new
technologies being engineered for better
human-computer interactions.
The Future of Human-Computer
Interaction
Computers can now handle large
amount of data and processing, which leads
to using very sophisticated tools. Many
companies and business for example, have
left their archaic methods of solving
problems to now relying more on computer
softwares, quite a few involving 3D
modeling. 3D modeling is currently used for
entertainment, gaming, architecture,
publishing, advertising and marketing, or
even geology and sciences, just to name a
McKenzie 5
few. [14] 3D modeling is being used in
virtually all sectors, and with its frequent
use, comes pain-points. Imagine using a
mouse and key board to manipulate 3D
objects on your screen. This process can be
very tedious. The touch-screen technologies
allows for better usability and efficiency, but
the user is able to at most hover over the
screen with limited power to get the desired
results naturally and efficiently. Currently
the most promising solutions have been
found through the use of motion-sensing
technology, and this technology has been
around for a while.
We see motion-sensing technology
in home security systems, radars used by the
policeman, throughout the past decades.
More recently we see this technology being
incorporated by engineers in video games
[15], cells phones [16], and many other
devices.
The robustness of the today’s
computer has also made possible the
incorporation of motion-sensing technology.
One emerging group that we see bringing
motion-sensing techniques to humancomputer interaction is Leap Motion. [17]
Mentioned above is the need for our
interactions with computers to be more
natural. This desire for more natural
interactions is being pursued with by Leap
Motion who has engineered a motionsensing device which allows users to interact
with the desktop through gestures in front
the screen. With this technology, the user’s
fingers or other stimuli are detected within 1
meter (3 feet) from the screen. [17] There
are other companies working on perfecting
using motion-sensing technology for humancomputer interactions. AirStrike, a FrenchJapanese company, is also working to
perfect using one’s finger to control the
computer screen more naturally. [18] In both
cases sensor(s) detect the stimuli and its
actions, and then sends the information to
some software so the computer can react.
This is the basic operation behind motionsensing technologies for human-computer
interactions. Below is a glimpse of motionsensing technology at work in humancomputer interactions:
1.
2.
1. http://www.techspot.com/review/702-leapmotion/,
2. http://betanews.com/2012/12/18/10000more-free-leap-motion-3d-controllers-for-devsbrand-new-sdk/
Engineered with astounding capabilities,
computers with motion-sensing technology
interpret where a user’s fingers are and what
they are communicating. Motion-sensing
interpretations allow the computer to react
naturally and create a more real, efficient,
and powerful experience.
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Conclusion
Judging from the numerous
innovations seen throughout the past
decades, it is difficult to predict where we
are headed. However, there needs to be no
worries, because we live in a world of doers
and thinkers, of engineers. We have
engineered our way from the seemingly
pain-point filled days of Apple’s Lisa to
now being able to use our hands in midair to
naturally and somewhat realistically develop
and manipulate 3D models. Engineers have
brought us a long way in terms of how we
interact with our computers, and from
connecting the dots of the innovations in the
past, one can see that we have a bright future
ahead.
McKenzie 7
Works Cited
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office.”
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http://www.merl.com/areas/Diamond
Touch/, [Sep 14, 2013]
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Technology”
http://inventors.about.com/od/tstartin
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14, 2013]
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http://www.nextwindow.com/optical/
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http://computer.howstuffworks.com/
question716.htm, [Sep 14, 2013]
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http://www.digibarn.com/collections/
systems/xerox-8010/index.html [Sep
13, 2013]
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http://developer.sonymobile.com/kno
wledge-base/technologies/floatingtouch/, [Sep 15, 2013]
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http://computer.howstuffworks.com/
mouse6.htm [Sep 13, 2013]
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[Sep 13, 2013]
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344-352 Available: URL:
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Online Community”
http://thinkofit.com/plato/dwplato.ht
m, 1994 [Sep 13, 2013]
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Entirely on Motion-sensing
Technology?” http://computeractiongames.yoexpert.com/computeraction-games-general/couldcomputer-action-games-relyentirely-on-motio-32093.html, [Sep
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my Samsung Galaxy S4”
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howtoguide/N0000003/10141/12055
2, Apr 26, 2013 [Sep 15, 2013]
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17. “LEAP.” https://www.leapmotion.com/,
[Sep 15, 2013]
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http://2.lm3labs.com/technologies2/airstrike/, [Sep 15, 2013]