edf40wrjww2CF_PaperMaster:Desc
The future of the human-computer interface
from Personal Computing (450 articles)
A-
A+
Click image to enlarge
Image Gallery ( 5 images )
December 2, 2004 A new Australian research facility called the Visual Information Access Room (VIAR) is at the forefront of the coming revolution in human-digital interaction. The current keyboard, mouse and screen configuration will soon be replaced by digital interfaces that utilise touch, gesture and voice control and seek to integrate seamlessly into our environment. Launched by the National ICT Australia (NICTA), the Sydney laboratory looks like a futuristic office, but is in fact a test facility where sophisticated 3D models of complex systems and innovative ways to interact with complex data quickly will be developed.
Speaking at the official launch of the VIAR, NICTA's Chairman Mr Neville Roach AO said, "The world is overloaded with data. Accessing meaningful information from large data sets is becoming increasingly difficult.
"NICTA is addressing the scientific and social challenges associated with processing vast amounts of data through its use-inspired research approach to developing solutions. The economic significance of meeting this challenge is enormous, and is the driving force behind our Interfaces Machines And Graphic Environments (IMAGEN) research program."
Professor Peter Eades, NICTA Program Leader for the IMAGEN Program, said, "To derive meaningful knowledge from the data generated in the digital information age we have to change the way we interact with the information. "Presently, we access information services using a mouse, a keyboard, and a screen. In the future, we will access information through ...