Intel are holding their annual Developer Forum this week in San Francisco, and as a precursor to the main event, the company allowed its researchers from Intel Labs to run amok yesterday evening, showcasing their view of the future of user experiences across a variety of devices.
A number of research projects were highlighted, including OASIS (Object Aware Situated Interactive System) which uses a combination of 3D cameras and micro-projectors to allow fast recognition and tracking of everyday physical objects in the home. According to Intel, the project “anticipates new capabilities for the future home and implications for home server application and functions”.
Also on show was Intel’s Context-Aware Vehicle and facial recognition projects which combine in-car cameras and sensors to reduce the number of buttons and manual controls used whilst driving. Interestingly, Intel are also working in conjunction with HP and Yahoo too offload the processing cycles required for cutting edge vision applications to computers in the cloud, workplace or home, reducing the processing requirements (and in turn, power requirements) on the move.
Mobile Augmented Reality is another advanced technology that Intel’s researchers are currently putting their minds to. Its Mobile Augmented Reality World Browser, running on the company’s Atom processor, provides access to a huge repository of online information through the click of a camera shutter. Landmarks are visually identified on the fly, and in conjunction with GPS, location-relevant information is brought to the screen.
Intel also demoed its latest thinking in multi-application frameworks for 2D and 3D TV, augmented reality tools for the classroom utilising vision and image projection as well as gaming on mobile devices supported by cloud-based graphics processors.
The projects on show may have only just escaped the realms of science fiction, but offer a fascinating glimpse into the technologies that will support our lives in the next five to ten years. Intel’s Developer Forum continues this week.
