Science
‘Minority Report’ software hits the real world
The software behind the film “Minority Report” — where Tom Cruise speeds through video on a large screen using only hand gestures — is making its way into the real world.
AFP – The software behind the film “Minority Report” — where Tom Cruise speeds through video on a large screen using only hand gestures — is making its way into the real world.
The interface developed by scientist John Underkoffler has been commercialized by the Los Angeles firm Oblong Industries as a way to sift through massive amounts of video and other data.
And yes, the software can be used by law enforcement and intelligence services. But no, it is not the “pre-crime” detection program illustrated in the 2002 Steven Spielberg sci-fi film.
Kwin Kramer, chief executive of Oblong, said the software can help in searching through “big data” for information. It can also create souped-up video-conference capabilities where participants share data from multiple devices like smartphones and tablets, integrated into a large video display.
“We think the future of computing is multiuser, multiscreen, multidevice,” Kramer told AFP.
“This system helps with big workflow problems.”
A key part of the system is the gesture interface, which the company calls the “g-speak” spatial operating environment.
That grew out of a project by Underkoffler — then a scientist at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology — for “Minority Report,” before he became chief scientist at startup Oblong.
“We have demo versions of this kind of software which show exactly the ‘Minority Report’ user experience, allowing you to move back and forth in time, or to zoom in to look at details,” Kramer said.
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