the Wi-Fi Hoover



On the theme of innovating for the future, the OBWIous (Out of the Box Wireless Intellingent -ous) group -led by fabien- is currently working on a prototype for a Wi-Fi Hoover device. The device is being built for the internet 2 (backward compatibility with internet is still being debated though probably will not be built in.)

The Wi-Fi Hoover device scans the radio frequency in the surrounding area to search for objects specified through an any criteria search mechanism. The Hoover can then create a virtual image of the object which is directly manipulatable. A ei-piPEs (Enhanced Intelligent Performance Improvement Performance Evaluation System) has also been inbuilt into the Hoover which allows the device to network with similar or compatible devices for real time collaboration. This would provide for a mode of collaboration where different users manipulate and can synchronously change real time copies of actual objects in the nearby area. The area range can be set allowing for making the spatial context of object to become relevant.

Currently we are in the middle of the first phase of a three phase usability testing. The Hoover device is expected to support a wide range of input-output devices. Current usability testing has been done with a keyboard and a sleek head mounted display.

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