MIT Digital Sixth Sense

Pranav Mistry

What is it?

• “SixthSense is a wearable, gestural interface that augments our physical world with digital information, and lets us use natural hand gestures to interact with that information.”

What does it do?

• “SixthSense brings intangible, digital information into the tangible world, and allows us to interact with this information via natural hand gestures. SixthSense frees information from its confines, seamlessly integrating it with reality, thus making the entire world your computer.”

How does it work?

• The SixthSense prototype comprises a pocket projector, mirror, and camera worn in a pendant-like mobile device. Both the projector and the camera are connected to a mobile computing device in the user’s pocket. The system projects information onto the surfaces and physical objects around us, making any surface into a digital interface; the camera recognizes and tracks both the user's hand gestures and physical objects using computer-vision-based techniques. SixthSense uses simple computer-vision techniques to process the video-stream data captured by the camera and follows the locations of colored markers on the user’s fingertips (which are used for visual tracking). In addition, the software interprets the data into gestures to use for interacting with the projected application interfaces.

The Inventor: Biography • “Pranav Mistry is a PhD student in the Fluid Interfaces Group at MIT's

Media Lab. Pranav is passionate about integrating the digital informational experience with our real world interactions. He holds a Master in Media Arts and Sciences from MIT and Master of Design from IIT Bombay. Pranav received his Bachelor degree in Computer Engineering. Before joining MIT, He also worked with Microsoft as a UX researcher. Designer, Engineer and Inventor, Pranav Mistry has done many interesting projects. SixthSense is Pranav’s latest invention. In some of his previous work, Pranav has attempted to make intelligent sticky notes, Quickies, that can be searched, located and can send reminders and messages; removed a pen’s tie with paper by giving it an ability to draw in 3D and implemented TaPuMa, a tangible public map that can act as Google of physical world. Pranav’s research interests also include Gestural and Tangible Interaction, Ubiquitous Computing, AI, Machine Vision, Collective Intelligence and Robotics.”

Quality of Living?

• This would make our quality of living much better because it would cut down on the cost of basic necessities such as cameras, laptops etc.

• Everything would be at the tip of your fingers.

Ethical Implications

• Pros: cheap because it only took $350 to make

• Cons: people don’t like change and this might be too big of a futuristic step for people

Appeals

Short Term Appeal: it isn’t fully developed yet so the short term appeal isn’t likely

Long Term Appeal: they are already trying to come up for a prototype to bring into the classroom.

Lasting Potential?

I think this has lasting potential because the pros outweigh the cons and they are already making more steps to future this product.

Works Cited• Miller, Peter. Biologika. Photograph. 16 May 2010. Web. 16 November 2010. <http://moooonriver.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!

F50083AB13224D70!6716.entry>.

 

• "SixthSense: A Wearable, Gestural Interface to Augment Our World." MIT Media Lab. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. <http://www.media.mit.edu/research/highlights/sixthsense- wearable-gestural-interface-augment-our-world>.

 

• "Pranav Mistry." MIT Media Lab. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. <http://www.media.mit.edu/people/pranav>.

 

• Sixthsense-pranav-mistry. Photograph. Theitechblog. 1 May 2010. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. <http://www.theitechblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/sixthsense-pranav-mistry.jpg.>.

 

• Mit1.jpg. Photograph. Gadgetink. By Azmi. 9 Feb. 2009. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. <http://gadgetink.simpur.net.bn/2009/02/future-gadgets-wearable-projection.html>.

 

• Sixthsense_a1.jpg. Photograph. Aboutprojectors. 19 Nov. 2009. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. <http://www.aboutprojectors.com/news/2009/11/19/pranav-mistry-goes-in-depth-about-sixth-sense-system/>.