Computers can now detect and understand body poses and gestures of several people at once, thanks to indefatigable robotics researchers at Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute.
(Multi-Person Face/Body/Hand Keypoint Detection)
The ability to recognize finger or hand poses, for instance, will make it possible for people to interact with computers in new and more natural ways, such as simply pointing at things.
That will also allow robots to perceive you’re doing, what moods you’re in, and whether you can be interrupted, for example. Your self-driving car could get an early warning that a pedestrian is about to step into the street by monitoring your body language. The technology could also be used for behavioral diagnosis and rehabilitation for conditions such as autism, dyslexia, and depression, the researchers say.
This new method was developed at CMU’s NSF-funded Panoptic Studio, a two-story dome embedded with 500 video cameras, but the researchers can now do the same thing with a single camera and laptop computer.
One of science fiction's greatest and most original authors, Philip K. Dick, described this very idea in his 1955 novel Solar Lottery:
"You're wrong, honey," Al said seriously. "The l-channel is for news and factual information. The s-channel is for pleasure. I enjoy watching this way, but - He waved his hand and the circuit switched abruptly.
(Read more about Philip K. Dick's hand wave control)
Fans of Douglas Adams may recall his description of gesture-controlled device in his 1979 classic The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
'Old People Began to Cross The Continent In Their Own Cars'
'It was a relief to enter one of the comfortable autos, whisper a direction down the tube, and just know that you would be taken to your destination in the quickest, safest, and cheapest manner.' - Dr. David H. Keller, 1935.
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'Old People Began to Cross The Continent In Their Own Cars'
'It was a relief to enter one of the comfortable autos, whisper a direction down the tube, and just know that you would be taken to your destination in the quickest, safest, and cheapest manner.'
Starfall Manufacturing Drugs In Space
'The vast spinning sphere of Factory in the Sky loomed above and ahead of us, gleaming white against the unfathomable jet depths of surrounding space.'
The Solar Oberth Slingshot
'And if it doesn’t work,' inquired Lazarus, 'what does that make us? Sunspots?'
'If Anyone Is Watching Earth...'
'Our study of your race has convinced us that you are not fitted to leave your planet in the present state of your civilization.'