Back when we first started to use the first websites, the hyperlink was revolutionary: it turned static text into active text, so that when touched, we would be presented with new information. This was the first interaction we have ever had with text, ie making text DO something. To access this though, we needed a computer, an internet connection, and a knowledge of how to use a computer.
Pattie Maes' group has now produced a device that allows us to take that hyperlink and to put it onto any surface in front of the user (Maes, P., 2011). Additionally, the user is now able to turn an object in the real world into a hyperlink: a person, a packet of cereal, and even hand gestures. The interface has now evolved from a computer and keyboard to the air and object in front of the user, anywhere. Furthermore, you no longer have to 'click' the hyperlink to activate it - the information just appears when the object is presented. Can you imagine meeting someone at a conference and pushing their chest to display their bio?
The trap of this technology, though, is that one can be presented with too much (irrelevant) information. To work effectively, this technology will have to allow the user to filter or select what action/information comes from its use. To turn humanity into information processors would remove us from a quintessential human experience - feeling and intuition. If this technology is used in education for example, studies will no doubt show that the technology per se is not what improves learning, but the tried and tested educational principles that are incorporated into its design. It is, after all, simply a virtual keyboard and a projector.
Reference:
Maes, P. (2011). Pattie Maes and Pranav Mistry demo SixthSense. Retrieved August 8, 2011, from http://www.ted.com/talks/pattie_maes_demos_the_sixth_sense.html
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