Natural User Interfaces

Natural User Interface is a form of Human-

Computer Interface or interaction
 Natural User Interfaces
Types of NUI Technologies:
Touch Screens
Direct Voice Input
Augmented Reality
Tangible Computing
Automatic Identification.
Natural User Interface
Tomorrow’s Technology…Today

Here you will see how Natural User Interfaces are

becoming part of our everyday lives and a few examples
of ways in which this technology is utilized. The next
slide is a short video of Steve Ballmer, the CEO of
Microsoft, talking about the future of Natural User
Interface at the Consumer Electronics Show last year.
Natural User Interface
Tomorrow’s Technology…Today
 Natural User Interface:
Multi-touch Software
 Here we will show you a brief demonstration on two particular types
touchEarth & viewerApp

of Natural User Interfaces.  The first being a type of Multi-touch

software called touchEarth, which allows the users to use two finger
gestures to control Google Earth.  Multi-touch software differs from
traditional touchscreen technology in that it allows the user to apply
multiple fingers simultaneously, creating a more natural and simple
use of touchscreen technologies.  The video you are about to see
also demonstrates viewerApp, which incorporates Multi-touch
allowing you to type text using a touch screen. 
Natural User Interface
Multi-touch Software
touchEarth & viewerApp
Natural User Interface
Voice Recognition
Ford Sync & Microsoft

 Microsoft has led the way in Natural User Interface, and they
have now teamed up with Ford to utilize voice recognition in
their new Ford Sync automobiles. The in-car entertainment
and communications system responds to a driver’s voice
commands to complete such tasks as selecting songs to play
or answering text messages.
Natural User Interface
Voice Recognition
Ford Sync & Microsoft
 Costs and Benefits of NUI
One of the primary benefits is the flexibility it gives users in terms of its usage.

This product will be a great boon for the retail and service industries.

It will enable people to walk into stores and look for whatever they want through
computers.

All these factors can give a huge boost to the sales and revenue of the company
manufacturing these natural user interfaces and this is one of the main reasons a
lot of technology companies want to manufacture this product.
 Costs and Benefits of NUI
The cost associated with this product is also very high. It is a cutting edge
technology that requires a lot of specialized manpower to build it.

 The research involved in creating this new technology is also quite staggering.

All this means increased cost of production for the business and this in turn can
translate to lower demands. However, the technology is a huge leap and it can
revolutionize the way machines operate in the future, provided the costs are
brought down by the companies.
 Current Products
Microsoft Surface

 Microsoft surface is one of the most popular natural user interfaces that use
multi-touch technology to understand the hand gestures and convert it into
meaningful commands for the system.

 It helps people to experience digital content in a unique way and it also

encourages collaboration and sharing.

 The commercial Microsoft Surface sells for $12,500 and the developer version
costs $15,000.
 Current Products
DiamondTouch

DiamondTouch is a multi-touch interface manufactured by a company called

Circle Twelve Inc.

The most unique feature of this product is its capacity for human recognition. It
can recognize the touch of one human being from another when everyone is
touching the same screen.

This table is a great tool for conferencing, collaborating and decision-making.

DiamondTouch was available for the public from 2006 and currently it sells for
about $10,000.
 Comparisons
The main difference between the two products is the human factor
identification that exists in DiamondTouch and the absence of this feature in
Surface.

On the other hand, Surface is a complete product for digital content. It can
support 52 fingers and do a whole range of activities like identifying the wine
when a glass is placed on it. It can be a fun and interactive device that can be
placed in many stores and restaurants.

DiamondTouch is mainly for project management and collaborative work rather

than for digital content.
 Recommendations
These devices are a great addition to anyone's life. However, the costs are quite
prohibitive.

Average households may not be able to spend $10,000 for a multi-touch device
and the only way this can become feasible is when the prices go down.

Any user, who is interested in buying these devices, must evaluate the costs and
the potential benefits out of it before deciding to indulge in this large sum of
money.

As for the companies, I would recommend looking at some options to bring the
cost down so that it can be used widely.