This presentation - by MIT's Pattie Maes, and inspirer of Pranav Mistry - was the focus of TED. This Sixth Sense is a portable device that can be worn, radically changing the way we interact with our environment.
Imagine the "Minority Report" - and more. The Greek translation was done by Dimitri Chaintini and the editing by Nichola Koutri.
The text of the video
I was always wondering… if we could evolve or develop a sixth sense. A sense that would allow us to easily and smoothly access the features of information that may exist somewhere and which, being relevant, will help us make the right decision about anything that concerns us. And some of you will probably disagree as our cell phones already do this, right? I would say no. When you meet someone here at TED - and, of course, one of the best times to network - you do not shake hands just to stop and say, "Wait a minute for me to take out my cell phone and look for you on Google; ” Or when you go to the supermarket while standing in a huge hallway with many different types of toilet paper, you do not take out your cell phone, open the browser, and go to a website to decide which of all the types of paper is the most ecological and responsible market…
Based on the above, we do not have easy access to the features of some information, which could help us make the best decision about what to do next. So my research team at Media Lab has come up with a number of inventions that can give us access to this information in a relatively easy way, and without requiring a change in user behavior. I am here, then, to present to you, our most recent effort, and most successful so far, which of course is still something we are working on. If you look, I'm wearing the device right now which, if you look closely, we've created from places that are currently in stores - and which, by the way, cost only $ 350 right now.
So I wear a camera, a simple webcam, and a portable projection system, which is powered by a battery, and carries a small mirror. These parts communicate with the mobile phone in my pocket which takes over the communication and computing functions. So in the video here, we see my student Pranav Mistry who is also the genius who implemented and designed the whole system. And we see how this system allows him to simply walk up to some surface and use his hands to interact with the information displayed in front of him. The system detects the four fingers that carry the relevant index. In this case, he's wearing simple marker caps that you might recognize. But if you want an even more stylish one version you can paint your nails in different colors.
The camera basically detects the four fingers and recognizes any gesture he makes and thus allows, for example, to go to a Long Beach map, zoom in, and so on. The system also recognizes characteristic gestures such as the one we make to take a picture, with which it takes a picture of what we see at that moment. And when he returns to the Media Lab, he can just go to any wall and view the photos he has taken, sort them out and organize them, resize them and so on, again using only gestures. Some of you may have been watching the show with Jeff Han two years ago, or some of you may be thinking, "Looks a lot like the Microsoft Surface." Yes, here too you interact with natural gestures, with both hands, etc. But the difference here is that you can use any surface, you can just approach a surface, even your hand, if there is nothing else, and interact. with the displayed data. The device is fully portable, and can… (Applause)
So a key difference is that it is completely portable. Another important difference is that when it enters the mass partreatment, will not cost more than mobile phones of the future while it won't even have a bigger package than these — it could look a lot more stylish than this version I'm wearing around my neck right now. But beyond the chance for some of us to live out this fantasy of looking like Tom Cruise in "Minority Report," the reason we're so excited about this device is that it can act as a sixth sense device, providing information about anything it is in front of you. So here we see Pranav going to the supermarket and shopping for toilet paper. As he selects the product, the system recognizes the product he has selected either through visual recognition or special marking technology, and gives it a green or an orange indicator. He may ask for more information. So this particular choice is a good choice, based on his personal criteria. Some of you may want the toilet paper that contains the most chlorine, instead of the greener and more responsible option.
(Laughs)
If he chooses a book from the library, he can see his rating on Amazon. It is displayed directly on the cover of the book. This is the book of Juan, the previous speaker, which, incidentally, has a very good rating on Amazon. So, Pranav turns the page of the book and can see more information about it - comments from those who have read it, information from his favorite reviewer, etc. If he turns to a specific page he can find a note from a special friend of ours who gives some additional information about anything on that page. Reading a newspaper - you do not have to be completely informed.
(Laughs)
You can see video snapshots from the event you are reading about. You can see the latest results of matches, etc. That is why there is now some confrontation.
(Laughs)
When you meet someone at TED, you might see a number of words related to that person on their blog or on their personal web pages. In this case, the particular student is interested in cameras etc. On our way to the airport, if we check the flight ticket, we can see if there is a delay in our flight, if the gate has changed, etc. And if you want to look at the time, you can just draw a clock - (Laughter) (Applause)… on your hand.
So far we have arrived so far in developing this sixth sense that will allow us to have access to any form of information about anything we may encounter. My pupil, Pranav, who is the one who, as I said, thought this whole mechanism.
(Clap)
It is widespread applause as I do not think she has slept enough in the last three months. And his girlfriend too, probably is not very happy. It is not perfect yet, it is more indicative of the progress we have made so far. And who knows, maybe 10 years from now, to be here with the ultimate sixth brain implant implant. Thanks.
