Tag: input

Categories
Music Technology

JamBlaster lets anyone anywhere join together with the band

Playing music with someone is not only a fun and creative activity, but it also brings people closer together. Unfortunately, unless the people playing are actually in the same room, it’s almost impossible to jam out together.

The JamBlaster is one solution to this problem. Using an input device that connects instrument to computer, musicians are able to play their music to a Web site called JamKazam. This allows Mac or PC users to video chat with other musicians and play their music in real time. This way, everyone can hear what the other is playing and it’s super fast so there’s no lag.

JamBlaster’s campaign has some great examples of how well this product works, showing musicians in four different locations making music together. The whole concept of the ease of “plug and play”, as the campaign refers to it, is especially appealing to those who don’t feel like mucking around with software in order to get great sound. Interested backers can have their own for $199 by August 2015. JamBlaster is looking for $100,000 in funding.

Categories
Input

KeyMouse combination mouse and keyboard saves you time, gets you odd looks instead

Although the time spent jostling back and forth from the keyboard and the mouse may seem inconsequential, the time wasted ends up being substantial for those who use that combination for work. The Keymouse is attempting to bridge that gap by offering a device that offers users the fluidity of a mouse while still providing unfettered access to a full QWERTY keyboard.

The Bluetooth-enabled Keymouse is split into two separate, ergonomically designed devices that resemble mice, each of which features half the QWERTY keyboard up top and within reach of a user’s fingers. High-resolution lasers on the bottom of each half allow any side to be the main mouse, accommodating both left- and right-handed users.

An alternative input like this wouldn’t be complete without the ability for each and every key to be fully customizable, ensuring the macros and shortcuts hardcore gamers, graphic designers, and CAD experts use can all be implemented easily. The Keymouse is going for $249, with an estimated ship date of September 2015. A successful goal of $100,000 will get this product moving.

The Keymouse is almost word for word exactly like the The King’s Assembly, although much more refined. With its full wireless capabilities and fully customizable layout. The Keymouse seems like one of the more versatile options out there, with a wide range of professionals standing to benefit from what it offers.

Categories
Augmented Reality Input

Nimble Sense brings virtual reality the input devices you were born with

Virtual reality technology is on the brink of reaching the average consumer after decades of failed vision and false promises. While head tracking and immersive headsets are great, the next level of immersion comes from a sense of touch rather than just using a keyboard and mouse.

The Nimble Sense is a hand-tracking camera created by Nimble VR, a company with years of experience working in the biggest tech companies and a history of focusing on hand-tracking technology. With this, their first proprietary camera, they are offering a gesture control and navigation system not just for gamers looking to lose themselves in a fantasy world, but also something that can have a wide variety of applications across a number of real-world situations.

Like the Kinect camera that Microsoft bundles with its Xbox consoles, the Nimble Sense creates a 3-D point cloud to track motion, depth, and gestures. With 110 degrees of vision and the ability to be mounted in any number of devices, the thin but powerful Nimble Sense is great for adding intuitive functionality to any piece of compatible technology. The 70 centimeter range also allows for any length of arms and less restrictive motion. Nimble VR needs $62,500 to complete design, testing, tooling, and production of the Sense. Supporters can reach out and grab one for only $99, with an expected release of June 2015.

By focusing exclusively on the hands, the Nimble Sense should offer a greater sense of accuracy and precision than many other motion cameras available, and will be a great companion for any Oculus Rift buyers. At this point, however, the technology is largely for novelty purposes, and it’s hard to think of existing practical applications for this product. Creators and VR enthusiasts will love it, others may want to let the technology continue to develop.

 

Categories
Input Technology

Tactalis is so close to revolutionizing touch screen technology, it can feel it

The Premise. Almost every device on the market these days needs a touch screen in order to succeed, as the newest wave of input allows users to interact with their devices in a natural, convenient way. Still, where touch displays should make things easier, without anything to feel by, a touch screen is useless to those who lack other senses.

The Product. Touching buttons to launch apps is one thing, but being able to feel them and identify them without necessarily pressing them is what the Tactalis Origin Tactile Computer offers. Using a metal stylus or a magnetic ring, the Tactalis system puts a system of switches and magnets under any LCD panel, creating a sensation of touch for any image that is normally displayed as a static, flat representation. Additionally, Tactalis is pushing itself as a marketplace of software that utilizes this technology, allowing an entire niche market of apps that can be felt to be developed on the platform, giving vision impaired users access to programs and features that many already take for granted.

The Pitch. The core concept behind Tactalis isn’t just altruistic, it’s also cool. Their campaign materials do a great job of blending these two core aspects of the product’s identity, focusing as much on what adding the sensation of touch can add to existing programs as it does on what said features will enable the blind community to do as far as independent travel, work, and learn. Tactalis is trying to get their hands on $40,000 CAD to bring the Origin Tactile Computer to the masses.

The Perks. With plenty of reward tiers, it’s not until the $2,500 CAD level that backers can actually (and literally) get their hands on an Origin Tactile Computer powered by Tactalis. For twice as much money, at the $5,000 CAD level, the Origin Tactile Computer will come with a carrying case, an accessory pack, and a license offering free access to all Tactalis software. All perks are set to arrive in May 2015.

The Potential. Any technology that offers accessibility to a group of people that currently lack it is sure to make a big splash. The Tactalis Origin Tactile Computer brings back the dimension of touch to devices that have for too long lacked such a feature. While it may seem like nothing more than a novel and unnecessary idea to the bulk of the touch screen-using community, blind users would be able to navigate and use the Internet in a new and intuitive way that can better relay important information. It’s not the first attempt at a tactile display, but the more practical approach using magnets as opposed to a dynamically raised display seems to give it a nod ahead of Tactus in terms of speed to market.

Categories
Input Tech Accessories

Motus leads the movement for new desktop controls

The Premise. Aside from the stubborn curmudgeons and the technologically impaired, people need more than a keyboard and mouse these days. Touch screens and mobile devices have brought about simpler, more intuitive methods of controlling a computer. Now it’s time for those controls to become part of all computing experiences, including the desktop.

The Product. Motus may look like a tablet, and may control like a tablet, but it certainly has some new tricks up its sleeve. Connecting to computers over Bluetooth 4.0, Motus sits well on the side of the keyboard opposite the mouse, giving users the ability to use gesture controls in the space above the Motus itself to pan, zoom, rotate, scroll, and more. Motus is designed to be comfortable, intuitive, and allow three-dimensional concepts to find their way into the computer control scheme. Motus also has 15 touch capacitive buttons that owners can customize and program to do any functions that they may need quick access to.

The Pitch. Motus is an attractive piece of tech with an exciting feature set, and Ideas Un Limited knows this, so their campaign video focuses on the excitement of using the device and the sleek look of the product itself. A good portion of the campaign itself covers the design process of the Motus and the tech that goes inside of the device, with some tutorial and introduction videos sprinkled throughout. Ideas Un Limited needs $128,000 CAD to make using a Motus a reality for most consumers, and also has a stretch goal in place at $250,000 CAD for some different colors for the device.

The Perks. In order to get their hands on and above a Motus, backers will need to pledge $149 CAD and wait until November 2014. Developers who want to push the abilities of the device can get one of the very first devices available and have open access via phone and email with the hardware developers for $600 CAD.

The Potential. The personal computer is long overdue for an overhauled control scheme, but a big hurdle that needs to be overcome is designing an operating system with new controls in mind. Windows 8 took a big step in this direction, and the programmability of the Motus should make it flexible to handle any task with enough setup, but until a device like this is big enough to get native integration to a popular OS, it might be more of a struggle to get it working properly than it is to just stick with a keyboard and mouse for now while devices like this and Motix (sense a “mot“if?) try to find a lasting foothold in the PC market.

Categories
Input

Motix ties touch screen controls to any standard keyboard

The Premise. It might be hard to realize, but a good deal of time spent doing anything on the computer is moving from the keyboard to the mouse and then back again. It’s an insignificant blip when it happens once, but it more likely will occur over and over, adding up into lost time. No amount of keyboard shortcuts can prevent this from occurring.

The Product. The Motix is a touchless, hands-free sensor that sticks onto a keyboard and reads finger gestures above the keys to enable mouse-like or touch-style controls over a computer, regardless of operating system. By simply lifting an index finger off the key and pointing it forward, simple finger motions allow for scrolling, navigation, and anything else that can be done with a mouse.

The Pitch. The campaign focuses on how much easier and responsive computing can be if only one input device needs to be used. The Motix plays well with mice, however, making it a perfect solution for things that it’s designed to do without shutting out mouse functionality. Motix creators Technology Launch, LLC want to raise $50,000 to finalize the product’s design and complete its production. If the project reaches 400 pledges for the Motix itself, the included keyboard in the higher tiers will be upgraded from a standard release keyboard to a custom keyboard with built-in Motix capabilities.

The Perks. The Motix sensor is available to backers who pledge $80. At the $185 level, the Motix Pro is available for those that want to customize keyboard and mouse gestures. These perks will ship out in November, but for those that can’t wait, an early release with API documentation is available for $1,000 in September.

The Potential. Motix is designed to keep control intuitive and uninterrupted, but unless people are skilled typists with only a few of their fingers, moving from keyboard to Motix is still a full-stop process, albeit with less arm movement. Leap Motion has already shown off this kind of touchless control in the marketplace optimized for a more immersive interface, albeit doing so in a fashion that is more about 3D space manipulation than economy of movement. At least with Motix, the hands can stay anchored on the keyboard, but for typists that don’t subscribe to home row methodologies, there may be reason to worry about accidentally setting off the motion detection and sending a mouse cursor somewhere unwanted.

Categories
Input Video Games

Echo shoots to kill traditional first-person gaming controllers

The Premise. All the buzz of the Oculus Rift has made a giant wave in the gaming community. The games themselves may be growing more and more lifelike and advanced, but the controller interface remains largely the same. With VR headsets and omnidirectional headsets comes the need for a controller that is as immersive for action as those peripherals are for vision and movement.

The Product. Echo is a PC and Linux-compatible wireless controller designed for first-person shooters that offers unparalleled immersion. The housing for the control is a modified real firearm, not unlike high-quality airsoft rifles. With extra buttons and an added joystick, players can use the Echo as a stand-alone device for movement, in addition to realistic aiming, firing, and reloading. Fire modes can be changed from single shot to automatic, and reloading is accomplished by ejecting and reattaching the gun’s magazine.

The Pitch. The video pitch for the Echo is all about high drama, with an intense musical background and plenty of action in some of today’s hottest first-person shooter titles. The rest of the campaign’s coverage can be a little technically dense in terms of explaining the functionality of the device, but the passion and excitement of the Echo Solutions team in the attached videos is easy to understand upon seeing the controller in action. They company’s funding goal is $100,000 to bring the controller into production, but multiple stretch goals are available, opening the door for MacOS support, force feedback and peripheral add-ons, and eventually console support at $150,000.

The Perks. A product designed for elite gamers, the Echo controller is available starting at $400 pledges. Functionally, there are no upgrades available, but in terms of style points, backers can get a custom camouflage on their Echo for $700, and a personal engraving with weapon case for $1,000. The Echo supply drop will reach the battlefield in November.

The Potential.  Shooter fanatics have to be salivating at the look of this controller, especially with the suggestion that if this peripheral can reach production, gamers will have a choice of their favorite gun models to choose from. Devices like these are almost always a case of novelty more than competitive control, but it would make watching e-sports that much more exciting to see a team of players running on treadmill controls and using the steadiness of their own arms to pull off their professional-grade shots.

Categories
Input Wearables

Nod controls devices without lifting a finger — well, maybe one

The Premise. Sure, the idea of being able to control all the devices in a home with a tablet or phone is appealing. What If all that could be done without a mobile device, however? What all that could be done with a sleek, wearable interface?

The Product. The Nod is the next entry in the field of smart rings designed to keep users able to interface with all kinds of connected electronics without having to pick up any kind of keyboard or phone. This stylish stainless steel ring combines motion-detection with buttons and a touch interface to allow users to control Android or iOS apps, Bluetooth or wi-fi enabled devices, smart lightbulbs, thermometers, and more.

The Pitch. In a simple, one-minute introduction video, the Nod is shown primarily as a tool for slackers to control things by waving their hands around. From Netflix to Halo, the couch-bound hero is intent on accomplishing everything with the ring on his finger. Nevermind the nightmare of trying to play a game with that many buttons using a ring, the Nod is then shown at a business presentation, as a wild, complicated  gesticulation becomes a search for a six-letter word. This video does a good job of showing off what Nod can do, but a better job of showing how ridiculous it looks to use. Nod is available for pre-order now.

The Perks. If buyers like it and they want to put a Nod on it, they can get one in fall 2014 for $149.

The Potential.  The smart ring is being brought up as a small, powerful interface tool for users to interact with all connected objects. Nod lacks the subtlety of competitor Fin, but appears to offer a wider range of compatibility, albeit trading in subtle thumb slides for wild Wii-like finger swipes. Nod offers a similar sense of style as the previously-covered Smart Ring as well, but Nod’s intent is to be an interface for all appliances, not just a handy way to keep track of phone applications. The idea is appealing, and the execution seems to be there as well, but the freedom from traditional input that a Nod provides seems to come with a sacrifice of simplicity of use. Anyone with a decent typing speed on desktop or mobile might lack the patience for Nod.