Wacom Bamboo

via Gizmodo

Wacom seems to finally understand that sometimes a stylus isn't as good as a finger. The new line of Bamboo tablets includes one that is touch only, another that is pen only, and three with a combo of both.

The $69 Bamboo Touch is basically the product to add a multitouch trackpad to your laptop or desktop. The 5.0 x 3.5 inch surface is larger than the typical touchpad and supports all the typical gestures, including two finger zooming and scrolling. The Bamboo Pen costs the same amount and is, as you might expect, pen only. Then there is the $99 Bamboo Pen and Touch for the best of both worlds. And the $129 Bamboo Craft and $199 Bamboo Fun that are larger in size and are bundled with lots of software.

I am still most intrigued by the Bamboo Touch since I think everyone should have the goodness of a multitouch touchpad and the ability to two finger swipe all day long. The artistic folk, however, will have their eyes on the Pen and Touch combo.The new tablets work with both Mac and PCs (Win 7 support included) and are attached by a USB cord.

Holograms you can feel

via Core77 on 8/6/09

Totally nuts! Researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed holograms that provide tactile feedback. It's one thing to see a three-dimensional ball floating in space but quite another to actually feel it, and that's the promise of this latest technology, which will hopefully revolutionize interface designs of the future.

The trick is to combine motion tracking (via Wiimotes, of all things) with ultrasonic waves, which can be tuned to provide tangible feedback at a focused point in space. It's difficult to describe in text, but that's why we have YouTube; check this video out to see what they're developing.

Menacing Underwater Robot Reaches Out And Touches

via Gizmodo by Sean Fallon on 5/6/09

German researchers have designed an underwater robot with a sense of touch thanks to micro-sensors printed directly onto the robot's body that are about half the width of a human hair.

Because this sensors can be packed so tightly together, the robot would be better able to control itself in strong currents and delicately grip fragile objects. It may also be great at scaring away any living creatures on land or sea thanks to its menacing look. I mean is this design all about functionality or did they intentionally make it look like a nightmare creature from the sea? [Fraunhofer via Eurekalert via BotJunkie via DVICE]