🚀 go-pugleaf

>From MINSKY@MIT-ML Sat Jul 18 04:18:29 1981
I feel  that  the  pen-mouse-ball discussion  is  reactionary  --
though many of the ideas are realistic and practical.  But all of
them look back to non-interactive  sensors of the past.   Suppose
the terminal  could SEE  the user  -- using  a couple  of  little
vision-boxes.  Then (i)  it could  watch your  hands.  You  could
point to your  icons on the  screen in a  really natural way.   A
tracking cross  would permit  higher resolution,  and the  cursor
would move  at a  rate, say  proportional to  some power  of  the
distance between  where it  is and  where you  point.  Then,  one
could use some more AI to distinguish "intentional" hand  motions
from tremors, etc.  A  smart such box could  watch your eyes  and
face, too.

If you like holding a pen, that too could be wireless --  because
the vision system would track its point.  Such systems could work
in  three  dimensions.   The   vision  box  would  observe   your
eye-point.  When you  move your head,  the various windows  would
move in accord with 3-d occlusions, and this would permit more on
a cluttered desk  than the usual  methods -- moving  your head  a
couple of inches to the left  would uncover the next layer  below
on each stack -- etc.

Given a lot of R&D,  such gadgets could be  made in the next  few
years, and would  be as important  as speech inputs.   We need  a
"terminal vision machine" project.  Also, aren't the CRT  schemes
rather reactionary, if flat TV stuff  is coming in the next  year
or two?   Instead  of vertical  displays  we can  soon  have  (i)
desk-surface displays  for near  vision and  (ii) wall  projected
screens for far vision.