Real World Applications

Introduction

Throughout this course, we kept the level of technology used to illustrate concepts simple. In this lesson, let’s take a look at some inventions of HCI that have changed impossible to possible in the last few years.

Sensors

A sensor is basically a device that can detect, access, measure, record, and respond to physical activities. Some applications of sensors involve:

• Xbox 360 Kinect: This video by the official Xbox YouTube channel perfectly demonstrates that your body is the only thing required for interaction. How exciting!

• Fitbit smartwatch: Fitbit’s Inspire and Inspire HR smartwatches are fitness trackers for everyday use. They detect heart rate, calories burned, sleep patterns, and much more.

• Ring video doorbell: A smart doorbell that detects physical activity nearby and notifies the house owner through an app. It has many other features. Take a look at this video to get a better idea of how amazing this product is.

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence is the ability of a computer to think like a human and mimic human actions. How artificial intelligence is programmed and works are not a part of this course. We are only going to look at some examples that have changed the way humans interact with systems.

• Tesla’s self-driving car: A self-driving car that uses artificial intelligence to detect surroundings and drives around without the need for human intervention.

• AlphaGo: An AI-based Go game player that learned the game by playing with itself and was able to beat professional players.

• Netflix’s recommendation system: Netflix’s recommendation system uses AI to recommend series and movies based on data such as age, location, browsing history, education, etc.

Augmented and virtual reality

Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that connects the physical world to the virtual world. In AR, you are present in the physical world and digital objects are superimposed on top of this physical world but you cannot interact with these objects or move them around. Here is an example of an AR-based app.

• IKEA Place: An AR app that lets the customers virtually place 3D models of products in their homes.

Virtual reality (VR) takes humans completely into the virtual world. In VR, you can interact with the virtual objects but there is no presence of the physical world. Some applications of this technology include:

• Google Earth VR: A device that lets you travel the world using just a headset. You can walk around, fly, and browse any part of the world.

• Theblu: This is a VR based app that lets the user travel and explore the ocean from the comfort of their home, office, or any other place. It’s a product made by Wevr, a company that makes VR devices.

• Tilt brush: Tilt brush is a VR game developed by Google that lets the user paint in 3D virtual reality. Have a look at this short demo.

Simply amazing!

Mixed reality

Mixed reality is a mix of both augmented reality and virtual reality. That means we can interact with digital objects while being in the physical world. Have a look at some applications to get a better understanding.

• HoloLens hologram by Microsoft: Hololens hologram is a device by Microsoft that lets users create holograms in the physical world. These holograms are virtual objects that can respond to the user’s voice, gestures, etc.

Human-human interface

A human-to-human interface is a machine that lets one person control another person’s body. Here’s a little demo of this device by its inventor Greg Gage.