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TactaPad Puts Your Hands In The Digital World
TactaPad lets you put your hands right into the digital world, allowing you to manipulate objects on the screen as easily as possible. The ability to use your hands directly, and see the "shadow" of your hands fall across your virtual domain, means that there are fewer new skills to acquire, as opposed to the use of tools like a mouse or stylus.
(TactaPad and the shadow of the user)
TactaPad makes use of your "muscle memory" - your hand's ability to find an object without conscious thought or even direct sight - by mapping each point on the screen to a point on the touchable surface. Onscreen objects stay in the same place, making it easier for you to find them again.
The TactaPad surface is designed to provide your hands with tactile feedback from the application itself; a disabled pick on the screen "feels" stiff, while a successful button press provides a fall-through sensation. Two-handed use is also supported, allowing the user to grab hold of specific elements of an application environment.
(See and manipulate objects with TactaPad)
TactaPad is a prototype unit, but the designers believe that it could be made available for $1,000 or less per unit. The device connects with a USB cable; drivers for Windows and OS X are in development. Specific kinds of tactile feedback will require support from application developers.
This device seems almost like a virtual "glove box," a clear plastic box with gloves projecting into the interior, that is often used when handling dangerous or sterile materials in research and industry. Fans of the film Minority Report will appreciate the hands-on interface.
Find out more at the Tactiva website.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 10/14/2005)
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TactaPad Puts Your Hands In The Digital World
TactaPad lets you put your hands right into the digital world, allowing you to manipulate objects on the screen as easily as possible.
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