Future of Multi-touch interfaces

The future of computer technology will undoubtedly involve the addition of multi-touch interface. Keyboards and mice are things of the past as Jefferson Y. Han of New York University created the first multi-touch screen. Already this concept has been applied to new technologies such as cellphones and iPods, with Apple's iPhone being the most prominent of the cellphone world.

Before the the introduction of this interface, the concept of touch screens was limited to only one cursor point, the iPhone features an exact two point cursor, allowing for the maximizing and minimizing of pictures and web pages. Other than that the two point cursor allows for users to type faster without the lag of the old one touch interface.

The genius behind this new technology is definitely Jefferson Han as he leads the technology in this innovation. He demos the affordances of his new eight-foot touch screen interface that looks like it came right out of a science fiction movie. As he demonstrates the abilities of his interface, his actions are incredibly fast, so much more than it would be on a conventional interface that involves a keyboard and a mouse.

Affordances

• Multi-User friendly.
• Ability to manipulate applications.
• Ability to size virtual keyboard for user-preference.
• Unlimited canvas size, ability to zoom and zoom-out unprecedentedly.
  

David Pogue, a fellow blogger states, "in any case, I spent quite awhile trying it out, and it’s spectacular. The visual response to your touch is immediate and satisfying, and there are lots of multi-touch gestures that work. One of the sample programs featured an ever-expanding “family tree” of every known species in nature, complete with photos; by dragging and expanding, you could zoom in infinitely to the branch of this massive tree that you were interested in. The photo-manipulation and mapping modules were also amazing."


Official Video of Perceptive Pixel by Jefferson Han
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zGDNFpOMcA

Video on Photoshop with multi-touch technology
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmHNr9EH1iU

Jeff Han in TED expo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUAnwbooNOs