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SIXTH SENSE

We grew up interacting with physical objects all around us. We use gestures to interact with these objects. As we all know in India we don’t need to teach a child what is gesture for ‘NAMASTEY’ or what is the signal an umpire gives for ‘FOUR or SIX’ in cricket. Just imagine if we use computing devices around us just by using these day-to-day gestures which. There will be no need of being Tech-savvy to use computing devices typically meant for usually considered the domain of a technical person.

Such amazing technology is developed by ‘Mr. Pranav Mistry’ a very young innovator from ‘Palanpur’ a very small town of Gujrat. He is Research Assistant and PhD candidate at the MIT Media Lab. Before joining MIT he worked as a UX Researcher with Microsoft. He received his Masters in Media Arts and Sciences from MIT and Master of Design from IIT Bombay. He has completed bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering. He is the only Indian and youngest inventor ever who had been bestowed award of ‘YOUNG INNOVATOR’ in the year 2009 by Digit Magazine.
He named the gadget ‘SIXTHSENSE’ as this gadget bridges the gap between intangible digital world and tangible world around by allowing us to interact with this information via natural hand gestures. A long journey of developing this amazing gadget started in the year 2001 by a thought of “how can we leverage our knowledge about everyday objects and how we use them to our interaction with the digital world.”
Mr. Pranav Mistry initially thought instead of using the keyboard and mouse why can’t we use a computer in the same way we interact with the physical world. So he took the four rollers from the mouse which moves with the ball and directs the cursor in the computer. He then connected those rollers with some strings and pulleys and by just making the simple gestures he was able to interact with computer.
Then he further explored about this by using a large projector then he mounted a small projector and small camera-which acts as a digital eye in his helmet and finally, he created the pendant version of it called ‘SixthSense’ which comprised of pocket projector, a mirror and a camera. Both projector and camera is connected to mobile computing device placed in user’s pocket.
The projector projects visual information on surfaces, walls and physical objects around us; while the camera uses computer-vision based technique to track user’s hand gestures and physical objects. The software program processes the video stream captured by the camera. Sixth sense also supports multi-touch and multi-user interaction.
The Sixthsense implements various applications like map application, drawing application etc. SixthSense also tracks user’s free hand gestures. To understand the viability, flexibility and usefulness of system lets have brief understanding of above mentioned applications.
MAP APPLICATION: This application lets the user to navigate through a map displayed on nearby surface. This also lets the user to zoom-in and zoom out using intuitive hand movements.        
DRAWING APPLICATION allows user to draw on surface by tracking figure movements
FREE HAND GESTURES: By detecting “framing” gestures sixth sense can take photos and can flick through those pictures by projecting them on nearby surface.
The SixthSense system also augments physical objects the user is interacting with by projecting more information about these objects projected on them. For example, a newspaper can show live video news or dynamic information can be provided on a regular piece of paper.
Another amazing feature is just make simple gesture of drawing a circle on user’s wrist and SixthSense will project an analog watch.
Apart from many other application and usage last but not least amazing fact about this gadget is unlike Microsoft surface which available at the cost of $10,000 it is available only at the cost $350 and software will be available as a free source at


By- 
Sourabh
SOURCES: 
http://www.pranavmistry.com/projects/sixthsense/.
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