Research Proposal

Future Interface

Computers have been used for decades. In all that time, there has been one basic commonality: the interface. We have always used a keyboard and mouse to interact with computers. This was done because it was the easiest way to control the computer and tell it what we wanted it to do. With our advanced world today, it is hard to understand why we still use the same old techniques. There are many reasons for this including the issue of worldwide acceptance. But there is no reason why we cannot introduce a new computer interface system. The old techniques of using a keyboard and mouse to control a computer will soon end. A new interface system will be made commercially, and it will change the way we use computers forever.

I have pondered many questions since starting my research.

- Why has no one made a commercial product that uses a new interface?

- Is there really one clear cut new interface that should be adopted?

- Will these new interfaces limit the poorer parts of the world from having computers more so than they already are?

- Will companies be able to keep costs low on computers with new interfaces?

- Will the public as a whole accept a new interface?

- Will a majority of people be able to actually use the new interface?

As a result of my research topic, the internet will be a huge place to find sources. There are great sites that are run by IEEE members that allow for articles about new technologies. There are also many videos on the internet that show off some of these new interfaces. Since the creation of new interfaces is itself relatively new, books based on the subject are going to be hard to find. Although most of my sources will probably come from the internet, I believe that these sources will not be biased. They will simply just be based on telling the reader the truth about new interfaces.

I was lucky because this semester is not that hard for me. So as a result, I have free time a couple of days a week. I should be able to work on my paper on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If I cannot do it on these days, I could do it on Friday evenings after my classes. I am leaving the rest of the weekend open to other projects. If I have a weekend that is completely free, I will use the time to do more of my paper. I hope that on this schedule, I will be able to finish my paper early and have a lot of time to review it.

My research on new computer interfaces should be read because one of the interfaces I write about will probably become the standard computer interface. So from reading my research paper, one gets to see a glimpse of the future. My readers will also learn more about technology, which is always good now-a-days. Mainly I just want to educate people on the fact that the computer interfaces of today are too outdated. We should be using an interface that allows us to do our work faster.

Critique

Critique of EventWeb: Developing a Human-Centered Computing System

In the article, EventWeb: Developing a Human-Centered Computing System, Ramesh Jain tells of his belief that a human-centered computing system is the future of computers and the Internet. Much research is being done to make these computers systems that are more in tune with the abilities of humans. There is no question that these systems will someday be developed and available. Jain seems to think that these systems will be working in the near future, but the actual timeframe is much father off.

Jain writes that computing has already gone through two major evolutionary stages. The first two were revolutionary while the third will change how computing influences humans. Each stage builds on the previous stages’ advances.

The first stage was marked by the invention of electronic computers. These computers were millions of times faster at calculations than humans. Computers were extended to large businesses during this period.

The second stage involved personal computers and the Internet. Information and communication became more prominent than data. This period connected the world in such a way that had never been seen before.

The third stage will focus on the insights and experiences of humans. Humans use sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste to have experiences. Computers convert sight, sound, and touch to electronic form and then convert them into something humans can perceive. Since sight and sound are the dominant senses, they are mainly used. The whole third stage is about experiencing events and sharing these events with others. This is imminent when one looks at the top web sites and sees many social networking and user uploaded video sites.

Several areas already connect humans with computers. Virtual reality systems integrate the user into the story. These systems are becoming more realistic and more immersive. These systems are immersive in the first place because their environments respond to the user. The environments must be rendered fast or the user will get ahead of the action.

Most multimedia information systems deal only with archived video, audio, or images. Media running over live streams is becoming a big research topic. The media stream comes from sensors that can be placed almost anywhere. The system has to be capable to assimilate the data into a unified model. The system considers each sensor as contributing to the model.

The databases of yesterday and today have relied on indexing to store and retrieve data. An immersive telepresence system must deal with indexing in a different way. Current systems create a silo by indexing data and stashing it in a silo. If a layer was put onto each silo, an event or object could be modeled in the layer. This would help in assimilating the data because knowledge about the event could be stored on the layer.

Since there are many different sensors, there are many different perspectives on one event. The user could switch between the different sensor streams to get different perspectives. This current cannot be done; new media-streaming techniques must first be discovered.

The EventWeb would require some of these techniques to be developed. As opposed to the tradition Web, the EventWeb organizes data in terms of events and experiences. The EventWeb collects all the audio, video, and other data from an event and allows the user to experience it from their perspective.

EventWeb allows for multiple perspectives of events. Each event is represented by time, location, participants, audio, or video. These events could be produced by anyone. Any type of sensor data could be used to capture the information related to the event. The EventWeb is basically the regular Web linked to physical locations with sensory characteristics. So the Web and EventWeb would work together.

People can post their events using an Event Markup Language. This would also provide a place to express and create relationships among events. People would also be able to identify events of interest to them. EventWeb would not use a keyword box to search though. New techniques need to be developed in order to search images and videos themselves instead of just text.

There is much support that shows events should be the way multimedia systems are organized. Events can be defined by other events, so this process can continue forever. Each event should define the information, experiences, and relationships with other events. Time, location, and identification are an event’s basic characteristics.

If a system was created, the interface should work toward the strength of humans. The data should be presented in a way that the human senses can easily and rapidly interpret. The system should also present the data that is relevant to the person’s state and context.

Through all of this, Jain got his point across that EventWeb will become a major part of the Internet. Most of the information he presents in the article is relevant to his point. Throughout the article, he defines his terms. Jain also uses his information in a fair way.

I do not agree with Jain’s view of the three stages of computing. The first two stages are fine, but the third stage seems to be off. His third stage consists of multimedia sites as pushing us toward the EventWeb. But I think that this is a part of the second stage. My third stage would be ultra-high speed internet and billions of people with computers because I believe that this will happen before the EventWeb. Then there would be a fourth stage that would be dominated by the EventWeb. It also seems as if Jain thinks that the EventWeb is in the near future. But I think that it will be many decades before it is ever possible. Jain believes that we need to end our dependency on text. I think that we have used text for thousands of years and there is no reason to stop now.

EventWeb: Developing a Human-Centered Computing System is a great article to learn about what the future of the Internet could be. He is successful in making the reader believe that the EventWeb will be reality. Although Jain describes everything in great detail needed to have the EventWeb, he makes it seem like it will come sooner than it actually will.

Works Cited

Ramesh Jain. “EventWeb: Developing a Human-Centered Computing System.” 16 Mar 2008 .

Summary

Summary of “Brain-Computer Interfaces: Where Human and Machine Meet”

Sixto Ortiz Jr.’s article “Brain-Computer Interfaces: Where Human and Machine Meet” is about the work that is being done to make brain-computer interfaces (BCI). BCIs read electrical signals sent through the brain and translate these signals into a form that computers can understand and then convert into some action. This technology is good for people who have spinal cord injuries, allowing them to control computers, televisions, or other devices. BCI is a wonderful technology but it still has a long way to go due to problems with user acceptance and signal accuracy.

Ortiz Jr. writes that research first began on BCI in the early 1970’s. Through the years, BCI sensors were placed in rats, mice, monkeys, and humans. In the 1990’s, a sensor was implanted in a paralyzed man’s brain, and he was able to control a computer cursor.

As with most types of technology, there are a couple ways that BCI’s can be made. There are invasive techniques, in which the sensor is implanted directly on the brain, and noninvasive techniques, in which sensors are placed on caps covering the brain and skull. The decision between the two is not clear. Invasive techniques are more effective but require surgery and can cause infections. Noninvasive techniques can read a wider range of brain activity.

Many different types of BCI’s already have been made using invasive techniques. A company called Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems has made the Brain-Gate Neural Interface System. This device gives patients with spinal cord injuries the ability to control a computer. Researchers at Brown University on the other hand are trying to learn the way the brain turns our thoughts into our actions. They have been able to capture brain signals and convert them into a computer-readable format.

Some companies have taken the noninvasive approach. The New York State Public Health Department’s Wadsworth Center is using an electroencephalogram (EEG) cap on the outside of the skull to capture brain signals. In order for the system to be more effective, the subjects are taught to control their thought process. This machine allows people with speech problems to communicate. This is done by showing the patient letters and images and their brainwaves spike when they see something they want to say. This process is currently slow and the researchers are trying to design a faster system.

Ortiz Jr. continues by writing that other types of technologies are also being used. Japan’s Honda Motor Corp. and ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories have used brain signals to control robot movements. Subjects are placed in a MRI scanner and move their hands and fingers. The MRI signals are sent to a computer, and the computer tells the robot hand the way it should move. Since this system requires a MRI machine, it is not very portable. This adds to the problems that BCI systems already face.

Researchers at Stanford University are trying to identify the signals the brain makes when it is planning to move the body. Knowing this could help improve mathematical estimates of how the body moves, which in turn would create faster systems. This creation would help to push these systems into a realm that has not currently been reached.

A different type of research is being done at Columbia University. Scientists at Columbia University’s Laboratory for Intelligent Imaging and Neural Computing are creating the fastest image searching tool. The system uses the brain’s ability to notice elements in images much faster than humans. The user wears an EEG cap and is shown images very quickly. The system ranks the images based on the brain’s activity when each image was shown. This system would be vastly superior to computers, which cannot recognize objects in images.

Canada’s Carleton University is using a BCI system to replace fingerprint scans and eye scans. EEG signals generated by the brain are unique to each person. The system has not yet been built, but in concept users would have a thought as a password. The system would recognize their thought as the password and allow them to enter. This would allow users to change their password easily.

Although BCI technology is improving every day, it is still not ready for widespread use. Since it is so new, researches are still trying to adapt it to different patients. BCIs are also very expensive and very large. They are complex to use and require technicians to be present. Users must learn to control their thoughts, which can take months. Companies are not investing the time and money needed to make effective products. The accuracy of the systems is not high enough either.

BCI is a great new technology. It can help disabled people control computers or other devices. As time moves on, these systems should become more accurate and faster. Even farther in the future, they could help control complex robots or allow paralyzed patients to move their limbs again. It seems that the only way to fix the problems of today is to wait until tomorrow.

Works Cited

Sixto Ortiz Jr. “Brain-Computer Interfaces: Where Human and Machine Meet.” 25 Feb 2008 .

Presentation Tools

For my presentation I want to show some of the pictures and videos of new interfaces. Just looking through some of the tools, Jing, Screen-o-cast, Myplick, and Simonshows all seen like they do want I want. The easiest thing to do would probably be to take a video screen shot of my computer and just go through and play all the videos and show all the pictures. That way I could talk throughout about the information and be able to pause the video if needed.

Research Proposal

Future Interface

Computers have been used for decades. In all that time, there has been one basic commonality: the interface. We have always used a keyboard and mouse to interact with computers. This was done because it was the easiest way to control the computer and tell it what we wanted it to do. With our advanced world today, it is hard to understand why we still use the same old techniques. There are many reasons for this including the issue of worldwide acceptance. But there is no reason why we cannot introduce a new computer interface system. The old techniques of using a keyboard and mouse to control a computer will soon end. A new interface system will be made commercially, and it will change the way we use computers forever.

I have pondered many questions since starting my research.

- Why has no one made a commercial product that uses a new interface?

- Is there really one clear cut new interface that should be adopted?

- Will these new interfaces limit the poorer parts of the world from having computers more so than they already are?

- Will companies be able to keep costs low on computers with new interfaces?

- Will the public as a whole accept a new interface?

- Will a majority of people be able to actually use the new interface?

As a result of my research topic, the internet will be a huge place to find sources. There are great sites that are run by IEEE members that allow for articles about new technologies. There are also many videos on the internet that show off some of these new interfaces. Since the creation of new interfaces is itself relatively new, books based on the subject are going to be hard to find. Although most of my sources will probably come from the internet, I believe that these sources will not be biased. They will simply just be based on telling the reader the truth about new interfaces.

I was lucky because this semester is not that hard for me. So as a result, I have free time a couple of days a week. I should be able to work on my paper on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If I cannot do it on these days, I could do it on Friday evenings after my classes. I am leaving the rest of the weekend open to other projects. If I have a weekend that is completely free, I will use the time to do more of my paper. I hope that on this schedule, I will be able to finish my paper early and have a lot of time to review it.

My research on new computer interfaces should be read because one of the interfaces I write about will probably become the standard computer interface. So from reading my research paper, one gets to see a glimpse of the future. My readers will also learn more about technology, which is always good now-a-days. Mainly I just want to educate people on the fact that the computer interfaces of today are too outdated. We should be using an interface that allows us to do our work faster.