Microsoft Says Goodbye GUI, Hello MUI 79
theodp writes "On New Year's Eve, the USPTO revealed that Microsoft is seeking patents for controlling a computer by simply flexing a muscle. Microsoft proposes using Electromyography (EMG) sensors and a wired or wireless human-computer interface to interact with computing systems and attached devices via electrical signals generated by specific movement of the user's muscles. 'It is important to consider mechanisms for acquiring human input that may not necessarily require direct manipulation of a physical implement,' explained the inventors. 'For example, drivers attempting to query their vehicle navigation systems may find it advantageous to be able to do so without removing their hands from the steering wheel, and a person in a meeting may want to unobtrusively communicate with someone outside. Also, since physical computer input devices have been shown to be prone to collecting microbial contamination in sterile environments, techniques that alleviate the need for these implements could be useful in surgical and clean room settings.'"
Do you hear that? (Score:5, Funny)
It's the sound of all the slashdotters coming on the idea of not having to use a mouse when porn surfing. Just move your, eh, muscle to the direction.
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It all depends on the angle of the dangle, and the heat of the meat.
Re:MS love to be gatekeepers: This is a HUGE gate (Score:5, Insightful)
Comment removed (Score:4, Interesting)
On the contrary! (Score:2)
Well considering the fact that MSFT spends over 5 billion a year on R&D, with very little to show for it in the way of actual products hitting shelves, it would be nice if they actually had something to show for all that cash spent.
On the contrary, I'm delighted to hear that Microsoft is helping to neutralize itself by blowing billions on research that has no return on investment. Keep up the not-so-good work, guys!
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Ummm... if that $5b a year produces something like this, then it is totally worth it. Do you realize how many applications there are for a muscle-based input device? I can tell you right now using a home computer is probably least among them. We're talking things like prosthetics, a whole range of military applications, video games, and that's just scratching the surface. This is the kind of thing that can generate whole new industries.
If what they have is real MS will have made far more than they've sp
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"Ummm... if that $5b a year produces something like this, then it is totally worth it. Do you realize how many applications there are for a muscle-based input device?"
That mouse you're using to post to slashdot is a muscle-based input device. Without muscles, you couldn't click the button. Without muscles, you would not be able to move your eyes to read, nor would you be able to turn your head in any direction to even scan across letters or images.
Hate to say it but prior art goes back to the abacus. We've
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That's what they had with Windows and the home PC.
That's what they're searching for now.
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Microsoft's stock doesn't need increase in value: unlike Google and Apple, they pay a regular dividend to their shareholders. If Google and Apple's stock doesn't go up, their shareholders don't make any money. And stock price itself is practically meaningless except relative to itself. The market capitalization of MSFT is substantially higher than AAPL or GOOG and if you compare their P/E ratios they're not that overvalued, unlike Google and Apple. What that means is as a shareholder you can buy MSFT stock
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exactly. There is quite a bit of prior art for this at universities all over the world, hell its been on tv for at least the last 3 years (Scientific American Frontier with Alan Alda loves to do fluff pieces on technology research that could apply to the elderly or handicapped).
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Rule 34 (Score:1, Redundant)
Imagine the ungodly porn that will be developed for this technology... eeew!
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MUI, so it's not graphical anymore? (Score:5, Insightful)
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Slashdot's headline is misleading. It's not meant for blind people. It's meant to eliminate "Human-computer interactions" such as "mice, keyboards, pens, dials, and touch-sensitive surfaces" that require a "direct manipulation of a physical implement". It'll still require some type of visual input for the user.
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I thought they already released Vista ...
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Direct manipulation of a physical implement. So, we won't even have to flex our muscles? Just use our brains?
I think Sony was already in line for that patent, like 3 years ago.
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Input/Output (Score:2)
So blind people will be able to use this MUI (since their muscles work)? How does it relay things back via muscles? Oh wait, you mean it's still a GUI?
The keyboard and mouse are a form of muscular control.
So is the Wii controller. Project Natal.
That doesn't make alternative input device any less useful or significant.
I can hear the geek going into cardiac arrest if Microsoft did patent muscular feedback - and control.
Tech of enormous medical and military significance.
Unlimited commercial potential.
Fails test of prior art (Score:2, Funny)
Acknowledge the '+n Funny', but.... (Score:2)
*start pedant mode*
Old news, new technology.
Watch some reruns of 'Wild, Wild West'{mid 1960's TV series}...The main character frequently uses a modified card sharp's mechanical device strapped to his inner wrists/forearms to deliver into his palm some tool to extricate himself[usually a Derringer], in lieu of a playing card.(the devise was based on a late 1800's device)
*/end pedant mode*
So it may have already been patented...and expired.
Hello, "ensemble coding"... (Score:1)
...from Rainbows End, circa 2006.
I don't know whether to be happy or angry that Clarke set the precedent by not trying to claim ownership of the notion of geosync communication satellites. Ideas want to be free, but I'd love to see Vinge take Microsoft out behind the woodshed for this.
How sysadmin conversations will be different ... (Score:3, Funny)
Windows Admin: I told him not to install Service Pack 2
Great in concept (Score:5, Insightful)
...but probably terrible in implementation.
Calibration for each individual person's body type? Tech support that involves actual physical human contact? (shudder) Epileptics would lose all of their work with regularity.
In my mind, this is one of those things where we've already made the intuitive leap to an input that makes sense and now people want to go back and think of something that takes more effort to replicate what we've already done in a more convoluted way.
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You've got to be retarded if you think this will be used in an office setting.
I hope the EMG they use (Score:2)
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I had several EMG's in hospital this year, including the ones where they send electrical shocks through the nerves, to measure conducting velocity. These are very painful tests. With this patent, Microsoft extends its monopoly on torturing users, I suppose.
I was diagnosed with a disease that makes the nerves slower, disconnecting them in the end. I guess that means that I will not be able to use the MUI of Windows 2013. Never mind, it will be a pleasure to use Linux or MacOS only.
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Can you use any muscles? I imagine you must, because you can communicate here on slashdot which requires moving muscles in some way.
Furthermore, what kind of an idiot would want to use this on a home computer? Other than a nerd with a 12 year old mindset about using new tech toys because "their frickin shweet man!"
This is going to be used in things like prosthetics, in a plethora of military applications, to operate a cell phone, gps, or computer in your car without having to take your hands off the wheel
New platforms? (Score:2)
It has been done (Score:3, Insightful)
Many years ago, at a RobotFest in Austin TX, I watched a dancer demonstrate triggering of multiple MIDI-controlled musical instruments from EMG sensors.
He danced, and the instruments played NON-preprogrammed accompaniment to his dance. If you watched CAREFULLY, you could see which muscle movements were triggering which sounds.
And he was GOOD. He'd obviously spent a LOT of years learning dance, and he'd obviously spent quite a bit of time mastering his new instruments.
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Yes, I saw this at a CHI conference. I think it would've been '92 or '93. SF was there first, again; Spider Robinson had someone "dancing the drums" in Night of Power, 1985.
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Any hope of a youtube link? Or more specific info to search?
I'm serious, that sounds awesome.
Hmmm...the possibilities now days....
I'm tingling with anticipation (Score:2)
One of the applications essentially claims a classifier to learn the signals corresponding to various movements, and then classifies unknown inputs to indicate what movements they correspond to. That one is extremely well-known, and it'll hinge on whether Microsoft managed to think of some specific signal feature not mentioned in the prior art. Personally, I would bet that one's dead in the water, but you can never be sure without doing a proper search.
The other one essentially claims a wearable device wi
This Sounds familiar: (Score:1)
" and a person in a meeting may want to unobtrusively communicate with someone outside"
This sounds like that sign/hand/body language the Bene Gesserit used in Dune
Much more fun (Score:2)
Well, I can think of something else I could use to query the navigation system while keeping my hands on the wheel. Granted, it's not usually used for communicating with a computer, but it does have a high bandwidth input and output interface, and it's way more fun than trying to flex my nonexistent muscles. And the collaborative mode really rocks.
Can anyone say... (Score:4, Insightful)
Prior Art? [google.com]
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Precisely! They've been doing this in prosthetic limbs for quite some time. Obviously those types of prosthetic limbs have computers inside of them. So doesn't sound terribly original to me.
Bad Karma (Score:3, Insightful)
And could be far worse. You face some critical app, you know that you should not even think on moving that muscle and, of course, you will..
And will be interesting to see what happens with people that can't move certain muscles or do some combos, like i.e. doing the vulcan greeting, or closing just one eye... the new generation of computer disabled people is in the making.
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I'm glad to see I'm not the only one.
Combine that with WGA, and I shudder....
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AaaaaCHhoooooo! Damn! back to square one.
Flexing their muscle! (Score:1)
Prior art, surely... (Score:2, Informative)
I remembered that most of the new work on prosthetic arms these days focuses on using EMG to drive the arm behaviour (including Dean Kamen's new bionic arm), and there's a bunch of stuff done (and papers released) with driving the mouse for people with disabilities.
Surely this patent application has to be thrown out, and isn't Microsoft just wasting the Patent
More like "captured regulators" (Score:2)
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I could Just see the Advertising (Score:2)
The current MS PR team could use Olivia Newton John's "Lets Get Physical" as a launch theme song, then hire on Arnold Schwarzenegger to host ads about the new user interface, which leads to the use of the term "No Pain, No Gain" for users having to do contortions for some operations.
They could call the MUI OS "MS Fit" I guess (heh that really works to... Monkey dance, throwing chairs, etc. yeah!) :-D
Or Alice Cooper... (Score:4, Funny)
...Muscle of Love [amazon.com]
Arnold vs BSOD (Score:4, Funny)
Now I imagine a new movie, where Arnold Schwarzenegger defeats the BSOD by the might of his muscles alone. (Of course, it may not work as well now, since he's the flabby Governator.)
What use? (Score:2, Insightful)
Echos of Videodisc and Polarvision (Score:2)
RCA and Polaroid achieved a great level of wealth through introduction of new technologies in media and film, and having done so, spent their energies at the peak of their wealth employing the very finest minds researching and perfecting that "next big thing", that unfortunately for them, nobody wanted. Microsoft seems to be going down the same exact path.
question (Score:2)
what kind of a computer response would you get by tightening your anal sphincter?
It was bound to happen. (Score:2)
Microsoft is seeking patents for controlling a computer by simply flexing a muscle.
Microsoft has been controlling computers for years by flexing its muscles.
Prior Art (Score:2)
Or People Could Just Learn to Type (Score:2)
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One problem, how do I type the command that instructs my bionic arms to type commands.
In other news... (Score:2)
Maybe some day our Slashdot editors wi
WTF does this have to do with my online rights? (Score:2)
What does this have to do with my rights online?
Reminiscent of WinFS anyone? (Score:1)
Perhaps in the future this is a feasible thing but I think for the foreseeable future computer-human interfaces will be limited to mice, keyboards, and touch screens.
Voice control isn't even near up-to-par with manual input. Something tells me that a muscle controlled computers are a bit beyond that, not to mention the impracticality of having to hook yourself up to your computer every time you want t