Cognition

The movie "Minority Report" starring Tom Cruise and based on the concept of pre-cognition  ,also called Future Sight, refers to perception that involves the acquisition of future information that cannot be deduced from presently available and normally acquired sense-based information. I thought the subject seemed interesting enough to explore.

Following are some basic definations of : cog·ni·tion (kg-nshn)
n.
1. The mental process of knowing, including aspects such as awareness, perception, reasoning, and judgment.
2. That which comes to be known, as through perception, reasoning, or intuition; knowledge.
cognition [kɒgˈnɪʃən]

3. (Psychology) the mental act or process by which knowledge is acquired, including perception, intuition, and reasoning
4. the knowledge that results from such an act or process
[from Latin cognitiō, from cognōscere from co- (intensive) + nōscere to learn; see know]
cognitional adj

Are there pre-cogs living/walking among us?

Vision based interactive technologies

While surfing the web, procrastinating and thinking about what else can I do other than some real work, I came across some interesting information about Microsoft's XBOX 360's "Project Natal" to stimulate any ones imagination. I decided to gather more information about this and other emerging technologies.
Unveiled for the first time in June, “Project Natal” is a code name for a whole new way to play. Combining an RGB camera, depth sensor and multi-array microphone running proprietary software, “Project Natal” enables gamers to play in a natural and inviting new way, free from the boundaries of a controller through the use of sight, sound and motion. Here is a Youtube video with a great demo for the new system :

Searching for other vision based interactive technologies used in Project Natal, I came across this Demo from LM3Labs



I wondered how the automobile world is planning on using this techology. After a few searches I found a UK based company "Light Blue Optics" using and devloping this technology for more then the automobile industry. It does not seem that they have quite yet made it fully interactive and using it basically for projection.

Looking further, I stumbled upon a joint venture between Korean based "Samsung" and "d'strict" showcasing the world’s first commercial gesture sensing hologram at Samsung’s global launch show of their new phone "CORBY" .The presentation is pretty amazing and creates an effect similar to a combination of the holodeck in "StarTrek" and the interactive computer in "Minority Report"

Samsung Corby Global Launch from d'strict on Vimeo.

Following is a video demonstrating the technology behind the interactive dispaly used in Minroty Report.