Apple Researching Multi-Touch Skins and New Gestures

[MacRumors]

Apple's patent applications sometimes enter into bizarre and conceptual territory. This week's patent application reveals research into portable multi-touch skins that can be placed on three dimensional objects:

The one or more multi-touch skins enable multi-touch inputs during the operation of the object. The multi-touch inputs can be tracked to monitor the operation of the object and provide feedback to the operator of the object. The one or more multi-touch skins can further enable gestures for configuring and operating the object. The one or more multi-touch skins can also be used to implement any number of GUI interface objects and actions. A multi-touch skin that measures the force of a touch in one or more directions is also provided.

The Multi-Touch skins could be used on sporting equipment such as a tennis racket, golf club or hockey stick. They could also be applied to steering wheels:

Multi-touch skins 410 and 420 can also be used together to configure the operation of the vehicle (e.g., its steering wheel) and another skin. For example, the tapping of two fingers on multi-touch skin 410 can be used to change the mode for multi-touch skin 420 from volume selection for the radio to wiper speed selection. The tapping of an index finger on multi-touch skin 420 would then correspond to a step increase in wiper speed while the tapping of a pinky finer would then correspond to a step decrease in wiper speed.

Perhaps more practical is a set of new multi-touch gestures described by Wayne Westerman formerly of Fingerworks. Westerman describes the detection of a pinch/rotate/drag motion that could be used on a multi-touch surface.

- For example, a user can pinch the GUI object to grab it while dragging it to a desired location by translating the pinching fingers along the sensor panel surface to a desired drop location.
- Because a combined finger pinch/translation/liftoff gesture is a "dramatic" gesture, it can be used to throw a GUI object in the trash or to another desktop or window, minimize a window (pinch to minimize while translating to send the minimized window down to a corner), or send a file to a printer (pinch to select while translating to a printer icon), and the like.
- Another embodiment can be a pinch and pick up gesture, wherein proximity sensors detect the direction of the hand after pickup. A screen may then be activated in that direction (either highlighted or opened).



Article Link: Apple Researching Multi-Touch Skins and New Gestures

[iDrum]

Hello Minority Report!

[themoonisdown09]

This is a little out there, but I can see how this could be useful.

[talkingfuture]

Sounds a long way off. It will be interesting to see what happens with multi-touch over the next few years. I reckon Apple have some big plans.

[CartoonChess]

You'll only drum along to your favourite song and swerve recklessly after your hood pops itself once.

[tosui]

This actually is a very brilliant and very *practical* idea right now.

Imagine the next MightyMouse with a multitouch surface on the front end, so you can use your thumb & fingers to do things like pinch (thumb & first finger) or scroll/swipe (two fingers, three fingers, or four fingers, in any direction).

This would 1) bring the new functionality of the trackpad to the desktop (which Apple would like), and 2) blow away any other mouse!, and 3) bring more people to Macs, as this would only work on OS X!

Seriously, I bet we see something like this sooner than we think.

[idiosyncratic i]

If the skins could be made flexible, it could open up a whole new realm of possibilities. Devices that accept touch input could change their shape based on the input, to allow for tactile feedback. I'm thinking of mostly keyboards that could reconfigure themselves. But in the steering wheel example, there could be a gesture that triggers volume control, and then a little nub pops up to indicate where the volume is set to. As you drag your finger, the nub moves along with it. That sort of thing.

[BTW]

Originally Posted by iDrum

Hello Minority Report!

Loved that movie! Apple is definitely the company to get us there in a practical and incremental way.

I saw a surface device at Microsoft at their client demo building. Every Microsoft rep that talked to my company asked, "Did you see the surface device?" I sat at the surface table and really couldn't do anything with it. Um, yeah that's neat. At least let me browse the web in an interesting way. I don't own a Zune (who does?) or a WinMo phone so I was out of luck.

[kkat69]

In business there's a good rule of thumb/Lesson and it's one Apple learned long ago the hard way. If you have a unique idea/concept... patent it, or at least apply for it.

You never know when someone might come along with something similar or identical and you wish you did own the patent for it.

[puckhead193]

i could see a golf club incorporating a skycaddy type of device into it, but on a hockey stick...why would a hockey player need multi-touch on his/hers stick

[hok]

Multi touch dildo

[lofight]

Originally Posted by hok

Multi touch dildo

If they can do Multi-touch, they can do vibrate.
A Multi-touch vibrator.

[anubis72]

Originally Posted by hok

Multi touch dildo

LMAO! I think everyone is thinking a little too literally. Hockey players wouldn't need a multi-touch surface on a stick, but GAMERS playing a hockey game might want to actually use a hockey stick rather than a controller...

It would make sense that Apple would delve into the Wii-style game console arena as they have with the iPhone/iPod touch games. This would take it to the next level.

"Guitar Hero Kids" might actually have to learn how to play the guitar <gasp>!

[Peruchito]

Originally Posted by anubis72

LMAO! I think everyone is thinking a little too literally. Hockey players wouldn't need a multi-touch surface on a stick, but GAMERS playing a hockey game might want to actually use a hockey stick rather than a controller...

It would make sense that Apple would delve into the Wii-style game console arena as they have with the iPhone/iPod touch games. This would take it to the next level.

"Guitar Hero Kids" might actually have to learn how to play the guitar <gasp>!

i was thinking the exact thing. the uses are endless.

[azaas]

Looks cool and promising but i wouldn't even dare ti guess what Apple has in mind patenting that...I can see that happening on the mighty mouse but that's as far as i go :P

[Digitalclips]

It's a shame in a way this stuff gets out (I know it has to). Microsoft's R&D department must spend a lot of time trying to find alternative ways to develop anything Apple dreams up.

[morespce54]

Tennis racket, golf club, hockey stick and steering wheels...

What the heck???

[ZiggyPastorius]

I think if they made another keyboard and added it to the line, they could experiment there...I've always wanted a keyboard with a trackpad (like on a laptop) instead of a number pad...well, I think Apple could design a keyboard that has an area dedicated completely to multitouch functionality or even a trackpad (I love Apple's trackpads!)

[largebrandon]

Originally Posted by morespce54

Tennis racket, golf club, hockey stick and steering wheels...

What the heck???

Mac meets Wii?! Dunno if that'll work

[macFanDave]

I'm thoroughly familiar with the rules of tennis and cannot understand how a multi-touch skin can be used with a racquet that can be used in competition.

The rules strictly limit what you can do with a tennis racquet. It may not have any moving parts, for example.

I'm all for creativity, but sometimes you need to gently guide the bat-**** crazy ideas back toward something a bit closer to the ordinary.

[Doctor Q]

Wrapping everyday objects opens up a wealth of possibilities. Curved surfaces are especially interesting to contemplate. Sports equipment, appliances, bookcovers, purses, sofa armrests, and who knows what else.

And how 'bout touch-wrapping the keys on my keyboard? Who needs a mouse at all if I could slide and tap my thumbs on my spacebar? Why not let us slide fingers left-right or up-down on any key, or even combinations of keys?

Hmmm... I tend to tap on the steering wheel in time to whatever music I'm listening to. I'd better be careful if my steering wheel starts responding to gestures!

[twoodcc]

seems pretty cool to me. but will anything ever come out of this? i doubt it

[MattInOz]

Originally Posted by MacRumors

Apple's patent applications sometimes enter into bizarre and conceptual territory.

Clearly this patent passes the Novelty test.

[Dejavu]

Originally Posted by MacRumors

This week's patent application reveals research into portable multi-touch skins that can be placed on three dimensional objects:

Apple will market a line of iDildos.

[iPonder]

Looks like our tax money is going to help fund the movement of Apple into the car industry as well now. We've been longing for the days that PCs become standard within new cars (like bluetooth today) and here it comes. Knobs for A/C and radio, man that's so old school...