# The "6th Sense" makes your iPhone/Blackberry look like an old shoe. Techies must see. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 19, 2009, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6th-sense-makes-your-iphone-blackberry-look-like-an-old-shoe-techies-must-see/496999 "2009-05-19T19:05:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6th-sense-makes-your-iphone-blackberry-look-like-an-old-shoe-techies-must-see/496999/1 "2009-05-19T19:05:48Z")
Watch. Be amazed. [LINK](http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/pattie_maes_demos_the_sixth_sense.html) I can’t even begin to explain it. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6th-sense-makes-your-iphone-blackberry-look-like-an-old-shoe-techies-must-see/496999/2 "2009-05-19T19:20:59Z")
Fascinating - a wearable web access device you can trigger on the fly to get information on your surroundings (e.g., to help you shop, to get background on people you are meeting) and gather data (e.g., take pictures and stuff). Thank you for pointing this out - looks both interesting and not too far out ahead… ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6th-sense-makes-your-iphone-blackberry-look-like-an-old-shoe-techies-must-see/496999/3 "2009-05-19T19:30:09Z")
Absolutely incredible! Doing what it does now, imagine what this could do 10 years from now. I want one! ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6th-sense-makes-your-iphone-blackberry-look-like-an-old-shoe-techies-must-see/496999/4 "2009-05-19T20:11:07Z")
I think I just had a geekgasm. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6th-sense-makes-your-iphone-blackberry-look-like-an-old-shoe-techies-must-see/496999/5 "2009-05-19T20:11:54Z")
It’s a brain accessory. My brain could always use one. Me like! Thumbs up! ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6th-sense-makes-your-iphone-blackberry-look-like-an-old-shoe-techies-must-see/496999/6 "2009-05-19T21:06:39Z")
Words fail me. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6th-sense-makes-your-iphone-blackberry-look-like-an-old-shoe-techies-must-see/496999/7 "2009-05-19T21:28:47Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > I think I just had a geekgasm. A GEEKGASM? That’s gotta be about the funniest thing I’ve heard since Carliln kicked the bucket!! HA! ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6th-sense-makes-your-iphone-blackberry-look-like-an-old-shoe-techies-must-see/496999/8 "2009-05-19T21:45:25Z")
It reminds me of the Brain Pals from Scalzi’s _Old Man’s War_ ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6th-sense-makes-your-iphone-blackberry-look-like-an-old-shoe-techies-must-see/496999/9 "2009-05-19T21:57:29Z")
I’m a bit disappointed - I thought this was going to be an implementation of the kind of augmented reality goggles I’ve read about in assorted SF stories - where little information tags appear attached to various objects in the user’s field of vision (but are only visible to the user - not projected onto the actual objects) This demo did some clever stuff, but I didn’t at any point think I’d like to own this device, or anything like it. Augmented reality geeks me right out, but when the augmentation tries to poke itself back out _into_ reality, it’s a bit of a turn-off. YMMV ---
**Author:** ![Jules\_Andre](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jules_andre/32/9334_2.png) [@Jules\_Andre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jules_Andre)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6th-sense-makes-your-iphone-blackberry-look-like-an-old-shoe-techies-must-see/496999/10 "2009-05-20T07:35:18Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I’m a bit disappointed - I thought this was going to be an implementation of the kind of augmented reality goggles I’ve read about in assorted SF stories - where little information tags appear attached to various objects in the user’s field of vision (but are only visible to the user - not projected onto the actual objects. I don’t think the advancement into an eyepiece or a pair of glasses tinted or colored in such a way that the light projected from the Sixth Sense is only visible to the wearer is so far fetched, is it? Personally, I think the technology is stunning and awesome, but I wouldn’t want anything I did projected onto a blank wall or onto my hand, either. ---
**Author:** ![Casserole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b77776/32.png) [@Casserole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casserole)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6th-sense-makes-your-iphone-blackberry-look-like-an-old-shoe-techies-must-see/496999/11 "2009-05-20T15:39:51Z")
Heheheh! I like the “controversial” implementation example. Imagine walking up to someone, and the first tag that pops up is “pedophile”. Ick. Other than that, amazing!! Especially the drawing of the watch on his wrist, and the dialing of the cell phone on his hand… ---
**Author:** ![maladroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@maladroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maladroit)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6th-sense-makes-your-iphone-blackberry-look-like-an-old-shoe-techies-must-see/496999/12 "2009-05-20T16:49:31Z")
wow, I hope I live to see people walking around with these My second thought is that the socio-economic rift just got a little wider, not making a value judgement. Maybe that’s the wrong term, just the chasm between the have-this-gadget people and the have-nots. Drastically different experiences. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6th-sense-makes-your-iphone-blackberry-look-like-an-old-shoe-techies-must-see/496999/13 "2009-05-20T17:20:50Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I’m a bit disappointed - I thought this was going to be an implementation of the kind of augmented reality goggles I’ve read about in assorted SF stories - where little information tags appear attached to various objects in the user’s field of vision (but are only visible to the user - not projected onto the actual objects) At the risk of exposing myself as more of a greedy entrepreneur than a geek, what I thought was interesting was that it was a whole system of routine components combined in a novel and clever way. The hardware, especially the little projector, isn’t revolutionary. All it would take would be some other researcher developing a better way to display the data than that projection system. Then they could implement it into their whole clever little system and I agree the whole concept would be much better. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6th-sense-makes-your-iphone-blackberry-look-like-an-old-shoe-techies-must-see/496999/14 "2009-05-20T17:49:51Z")
First, the talk started off with how it’s a distraction from regular routine to look up things like this on a standard cell phone, but it looks like it’d be an even bigger distraction to have to use this thing. Nothing about it even suggested “easy to use” to me: You’ve got to wear goofy bands on your fingertips all the time (or worse, put them on when you need to use it), you’ve got to find a suitable surface, and you’ve got to move your hands in very precise and exacting ways (those were not natural fluid motions we were seeing there in the demo). Second, with any reasonably-sized battery, that projector is going to have a battery life of about ten minutes. Third, with the device hanging in front of your chest like that, a foot or two from your eyes, you’re going to have some serious parallax issues. Most likely, when you try to take a picture using the finger-frame like they showed, you’d end up with a picture of the railing you’re looking over, not the skyline. ---
**Author:** ![Rin\_Twisted](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/82dd89/32.png) [@Rin\_Twisted](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rin_Twisted)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6th-sense-makes-your-iphone-blackberry-look-like-an-old-shoe-techies-must-see/496999/15 "2009-05-20T18:20:53Z")
I think it might be important to remember that this is from this year’s TED event, and what that means. They’re not a business putting on a show of some finished product they’re about to unveil to the public, like an Apple or Microsoft conference. You aren’t seeing something that’s about to hit stores at all- there isn’t even anyone attached to this project who’s attempting to make a buyable good at this point. TED bills itself as a ‘symposium of free thinkers’. The people who get to present there are often doing some exciting work, and are hoping the exposure attracts some attention from someone with the money to make this into a viable product someday. If there was ever a finished product, it would be very different from this embryonic state we’re seeing. So when the speaker talked about how it was easy to use, she meant that the controls were fairly intuitive, which they are- you draw a circle on your wrist for a clock, make a picture frame with your fingers for a snapshot, press the lit button for more info. She didn’t mean that someone would want to walk into a store and buy Sixth Sense as is, right now. ---
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6th-sense-makes-your-iphone-blackberry-look-like-an-old-shoe-techies-must-see/496999/16 "2009-05-20T22:13:45Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > First, the talk started off with how it’s a distraction from regular routine to look up things like this on a standard cell phone, but it looks like it’d be an even bigger distraction to have to use this thing. Nothing about it even suggested “easy to use” to me: You’ve got to wear goofy bands on your fingertips all the time (or worse, put them on when you need to use it), you’ve got to find a suitable surface, and you’ve got to move your hands in very precise and exacting ways (those were not natural fluid motions we were seeing there in the demo). > > Second, with any reasonably-sized battery, that projector is going to have a battery life of about ten minutes. > > Third, with the device hanging in front of your chest like that, a foot or two from your eyes, you’re going to have some serious parallax issues. Most likely, when you try to take a picture using the finger-frame like they showed, you’d end up with a picture of the railing you’re looking over, not the skyline. You’re right. Crappy idea. It’ll never work. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Casserole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b77776/32.png) [@Casserole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casserole)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6th-sense-makes-your-iphone-blackberry-look-like-an-old-shoe-techies-must-see/496999/17 "2009-05-20T23:46:43Z")
Perhaps if they integrated the camera into _my eyeballs_ it would work. Even as a little kid, I’ve wanted to take pictures by blinking 🙂 I can imagine the operation would hurt though, heh. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6th-sense-makes-your-iphone-blackberry-look-like-an-old-shoe-techies-must-see/496999/18 "2009-05-21T00:54:41Z")
Heh…I read the thread title as meaning “This is an app for iPhone/Blackberry that LITERALLY makes your iPhone/Blackberry look like an old shoe”. I was all intrigued… “How does it do THAT?!” Of course, I was also thinking, “Why does anyone WANT to do that?” ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6th-sense-makes-your-iphone-blackberry-look-like-an-old-shoe-techies-must-see/496999/19 "2009-05-21T03:32:35Z")
That’s what I thought, too! Especially when I read the little blurb for the video that said > [@](#): > > It’s a wearable device with a projector that paves the way for profound interaction with our environment. Imagine “Minority Report” and then some. I thought it was some kind of hologram projector! ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6th-sense-makes-your-iphone-blackberry-look-like-an-old-shoe-techies-must-see/496999/20 "2009-05-21T06:14:19Z")
I moved up from a LG C500 to an iPhone this January. Love it. But was mere hours after I got it that I realized, “Wow! If they’ve moved from a crappy LG C500 to an iPhone in a year and a half, what the hell are they going to have in store when I upgrade the iPHONE?!?!?!” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6th-sense-makes-your-iphone-blackberry-look-like-an-old-shoe-techies-must-see/496999.md?page=2)