PerceptualComputing
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Intel reportedly acquires Indisys, gets an edge in natural language recognition (update: official)
Intel is quickly transforming its dream of perceptual computing into reality: the company will soon ship motion control technology, and it acquired the gesture interface firm Omek back in July. The chip giant may not be done yet, as there are reports from Spain that it has acquired Indisys, a small natural language recognition company. Details of the buyout are scarce, but the move would give Intel its own voice control software; it wouldn't have to license code from third parties like Nuance. We've reached out to Intel to confirm the acquisition. If real, the Indisys takeover might have come at just the right time -- Intel is swinging its attention to wearables, and voice control is now more of a necessity than a luxury. Update: Intel just confirmed to us that it acquired Indisys on May 31st, and that the deal has already closed.
Intel's 3D camera technology detects emotions and eyes, gives Kinect some competition
We know that Intel sees 3D cameras as the future of computing, and the company's Anil Nanduri just provided a few hints of what that future may involve. He tells Network World that the depth-sensing technology can recognize emotions, such as happy smiles. It can also track your gaze; a camera can detect when readers are stumped by unfamiliar words in a book, for example. The technology's shape detection is accurate enough that it can even scan objects for 3D printing. We won't get a true sample of the technology's potential until Creative ships its Senz3D camera before the end of the current quarter. Nonetheless, it's already evident that Microsoft's next-generation Kinect for Windows will have some real competition on its hands.
SoftKinetic and TabletKiosk collaborate on 3D interface for tablets
Perhaps in light of Intel's goal of integrating 3D cameras into its devices by the end of 2014, SoftKinetic has partnered with TabletKiosk to bring what it calls the first-ever 3D interface to enterprise tablets. That chunky slab you see above is based on the Sahara Slate PC i500, but with the SoftKinetic DepthSense 3D camera set inside its lower bezel. As seen in our earlier hands-on with 3D-integrated laptops, the little cam can recognize faces and gestures from as close as 15 centimeters away thanks to a Time-of-Flight (ToF) depth sensor, so there's no need for lots of room. Of course, this is just a prototype, and we'll likely only see this in business implementations in the near future. That's a good thing, though, as it looks like it belongs more in a shopping mall than on your kitchen counter. For more on the device, have a peek at the press release after the break.
SoftKinetic teases embedded 3D depth camera, coming to Intel devices next year (hands-on)
At Intel's Computex keynote earlier today, the chip maker teased that it expects embedded 3D depth cameras to arrive on devices in the second half of 2014. Luckily, we got an exclusive early taste of the technology shortly after the event, courtesy of SoftKinetic. This Belgian company not only licenses its close-range gesture tracking middleware to Intel, but it also manufactures time-of-flight 3D depth cameras -- including Creative's upcoming Senz3D -- in partnership with South Korea-based Namuga. Read on to see how we coped with this futuristic piece of kit, plus we have a video ready for your amusement. %Gallery-190272%
Intel announces Creative Senz3D Peripheral Camera at Computex 2013
Intel's just announced the Creative Senz3D Peripheral Camera at the company's Computex keynote in Taipei. The camera lets users manipulate objects on the screen using gestures and is able to completely eliminate the background. It appears to be an evolution of the Creative Interactive Gesture Camera we recently played with at IDF in Beijing. This new 3D depth camera is expected to become available next quarter and Intel plans to incorporate the technology into devices during the second half of 2014. "It's like adding two eyes to my system," said Tom Kilroy, VP of marketing. The company's been talking about "perceptual computing" for some time and this certainly brings the idea one step closer to fruition.
Hands-on redux: Creative's Interactive Gesture Camera at IDF 2013 Beijing (video)
At IDF 2013 in Beijing, Intel is again making a big push for perceptual computing by way of voice recognition, gesture control, face recognition and more, and to complement its free SDK for these functions, Intel's been offering developers a Creative Interactive Gesture Camera for $149 on its website since November. For those who missed it last time, this time-of-flight depth camera is very much just a smaller cousin of Microsoft's Kinect sensor, but with the main difference being this one is designed for a closer proximity and can therefore also pick up the movement of each finger. We had a go on Creative's camera with some fun demos -- including a quick level of gesture-based Portal 2 made with Intel's SDK -- and found it to be surprisingly sensitive, but we have a feeling that it would've been more fun if the camera was paired up with a larger display. Intel said Creative will be commercially launching this kit at some point in the second half of this year, and eventually the same technology may even be embedded in monitors or laptops (remember Toshiba's laptops with Cell-based gesture control?). Until then, you can entertain yourselves with our new hands-on video after the break. %Gallery-185293%
Intel's Perceptual Computing demonstrations hands-on (video)
We've just spent time with Intel's Mooly Eden, who is spearheading the chip maker's push into what it's calling "perceptual computing," which is using natural and intuitive interactions to control your PC. The company has partnered with Creative on a Kinect-esque 3D depth-camera that can be used to control applications and play games, do faux-green screen broadcasting and collaborate with colleagues. While Microsoft's motion-tracker is designed to encompass a whole room, Intel's has a shallower depth of field that's more suited for close-up work. We got to play with the company's demos away from the noise of the show floor, as well as playing a gesture-based version of Portal 2 by Sixsense that's shorn of the controllers that Eden used to demonstrate it in 2011. Interested in seeing what's likely to appear in what the company promises is the very near future? Head on down past the break.
Nuance and Intel team on Dragon Assistant Beta for Ultrabooks, Dell XPS 13 to lead the charge
Intel at CES promised a partnership with Nuance to give Ultrabooks a taste of ready-made voice recognition, and we're finally seeing the results at IDF in San Francisco through the launch of Nuance's Dragon Assistant Beta. As the name implies, this isn't just a voice dictation engine like that in Naturally Speaking: chatty users can delegate common tasks like playing music, reading social network updates and searching the web. The beta isn't immediately available as of this writing, but it should go live soon and will be a core part of of Ultrabook software bundles in the near future, starting with the Dell XPS 13 this fall. We're wondering why Intel is focusing its Dragon Assistant efforts solely on thin-and-lights -- the company still makes money from portlier PCs, after all -- but we won't mind as much given the simultaneous launch of a Perceptual Computing SDK 2013 Beta, which lets developers work Dragon recognition into their own apps. More details await after the break.
