After watching the much anticipated release of the iPad, I had thoughts of advances I would build into a ground breaking computer. Why not incorporate gesture interface, projection technology (surface or eyes), and even neural interfaces into a revolutionary computer experience? My imagination followed a pattern which Kevin Kelly opened my mind's eye to:
"As technology becomes ubiquitous it also becomes invisible. The more chips proliferate, the less we will notice them. The more networking succeeds, the less we’ll be aware of it."
Why not push the extreme of what is possible by making computers nearly invisible? By minimizing the physicality of the computer, our attention can be fully focused on the experiences it enables. By trail blazing these designs, we can begin to reap the industrial era's reward of reduced cost through mass production sooner, rather than later. And more importantly we can empower developers to build richer and more immersive software that isn't hindered by old computing restraints.
The unit I envisioned will have a pair of glasses (neural interface, camera, and projection) with a complimentary pocket smartphone (computer, small display) that it connects to wirelessly. The glasses will have an optional overlay for people who wear prescription glasses (like myself). I imagine the initial units to be slightly bulky but iterative versions should converge on barely noticeable.
What do I need to make a prototype
An ideal set of resources would be access to the following:
- the best gesture team (project Natal)
- cutting edge tiny projector builders (3M)
- next gen smartphone designers and developers (Android & iPhone, why lock in to one OS)
- the best neural interface (Neural Sky or Emotiv)
- budget to cover independent development and integration
Got a better design for the next evolution of the computer? Please share it in a post or comment. I wouldn't worry about folks stealing your ideas, we all benefit when teams embrace and construct our abstract concepts. Who knows, maybe they'll come back for more?