Feb 10, 2012 - 05:30 PM EST — AAPL: 493.42 (+0.25, +0.05%) | NASDAQ: 2903.88 (-23.35, -0.8%)

Lux brings fullscreen Multi-Touch UI to Mac OS X

Monday, May 19, 2008 · 1:33 pm · 24 Comments

The NUI Group’s “Lux” is a public preview for an open source project which will be available in June.

Lux running on an Apple MacBook with an attached multi-touch-capable input screen:

Direct link to video via YouTube here.

Gizmodo’s Jesus Diaz talks with Lux’s Christian Moore here.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader "Mark" for the heads up.]

Categories: All Sites, News

Thank You for supporting MacDailyNews!

Apple Store Online:
• Order iPhone 4s. From $199. Fast, free shipping only at the Apple Online Store.
• New Apple MacBook Pro. Now faster than ever. Starting at $1199, plus free shipping.
• MacBook Air. Available in two utlracompact sizes. Starting at just $999. Fast, free shipping from the Apple Online Store.
• The new iMac. With next-generation quad core processor and advanced graphics. From $1199. Fast, free shipping at the Apple Online Store.
• The new Mac mini. Now up to 2x faster. From $599. Fast, free shipping. Buy now at the Apple Online Store.

Comment Feed

24 Comments

Ampar

Monday, May 19, 2008 - 1:37 pm · Reply

Cool concept for demos and presentations. Extended use would be risking painful “gorilla arm.”

(http://www.hacker-dictionary.com/terms/gorilla-arm)
Eric24601

Monday, May 19, 2008 - 1:49 pm · Reply

you can see the delay in responsiveness
mas

Monday, May 19, 2008 - 1:58 pm · Reply

I don’t understand why every time someone shows off a multi-touch screen, they draw lines with their fingers. Like you’d ever do that in real life. Even Bill G did it when showing off his big ass table. Stupid.
Cubert

Monday, May 19, 2008 - 2:03 pm · Reply

It’s a start.
jtc

Monday, May 19, 2008 - 2:05 pm · Reply

I think showing the lines is showing you that it can read more than just 1 or 2 fingers at a time.
LordRobin

Monday, May 19, 2008 - 2:23 pm · Reply

I don’t know why anyone thinks manipulating a large screen by touching it is a good idea. It looks uncomfortable to me. It’s best to require as little movement as possible on the part of the user.

——RM
Ampar

Monday, May 19, 2008 - 2:28 pm · Reply

Jackson Pollock would have gotten a kick out of it.

And Koko and other gorillas could probably put it to good use. “It is part of ape nature to paint. Apes like to use crayons, pencils and finger paints. Of course, they also like to eat them.” – Roger Fouts
Ray

Monday, May 19, 2008 - 2:30 pm · Reply

If I have to man handle the screen to program, how can I enjoy a twinky?

just my $0.02
Military Police

Monday, May 19, 2008 - 2:46 pm · Reply

It might work well if the screen was horizontal, instead of vertical in front of you.

The demos are not so interesting to me, but I can think of much more interesting things to do with multi-touch. For example, in my field of graphic design there are all kinds of intriguing possibilities, besides the cliche rotating photos on a virtual light table.

But something they need to work on is making the interface less abstract. It seems to be controlled by all kinds of esoteric guesstures. Multi-touch input palettes and object controls would make it much easier, IMO.
Ampar

Monday, May 19, 2008 - 2:49 pm · Reply

“If I have to man handle the screen to program, how can I enjoy a twinky?”

There are a couple of things wrong with that statement.
Ampar

Monday, May 19, 2008 - 2:53 pm · Reply

MS is now working on their own version for Vista, the Lux Luthor.
blackwebguy

Monday, May 19, 2008 - 2:55 pm · Reply

what is the name of the music playing?
silverwarloc

Monday, May 19, 2008 - 2:55 pm · Reply

As long as it’s not a big ass table.
Spark

Monday, May 19, 2008 - 3:00 pm · Reply

I imagine there there are many specialized applications for which this could be a real boon. We are seeing a bunch of visual gee-whiz stuff in these demos, but nothing of much practical value to most of us. I can see a very nice white board application with this, or one of those big tactical maps you see on war ships. The mapping apps appear to benefit from being able to move and zoom intuitively. The key is identifying the applications that can be improved with this technology and then build the hardware to match the application needs. Very vertical in my opinion. What is nice, however, is that Apple is building this capability right into the core of OS X.
KenC

Monday, May 19, 2008 - 3:03 pm · Reply

What’s interesting is that they are using an old Macbook.
Lurker_PC

Monday, May 19, 2008 - 3:10 pm · Reply

Very similar to the Big Ass Table demo except this is running much better software.

Peace.
Beryllium

Monday, May 19, 2008 - 3:20 pm · Reply

Can a touch screen make you sterile? Depends on what you touch it with.
HolyMackerel

Monday, May 19, 2008 - 3:21 pm · Reply

These systems all have to have the projector behind the screen or under the table (BAT) – so your hand doesn’t block the cameras. This limits its portability or requires a deep device. I think Apple’s flat screen approach will create much more consumer-focussed and practical uses. These camera-behind-screen solutions will be OK as executive toys and limited game uses until large, light (weight) perspex multi-touch screens become available.

For desktops, the drafters table is the most logical position once we can truly make the keyboard and mouse an option. Tablets are already a suitable design.
peragrin

Monday, May 19, 2008 - 3:22 pm · Reply

Touch intereface is a vertical system. It is a good thing apple is already a vertical computer company.

Also you don’t use this as the sole source of input, but in addition too.

many times I find the mouse cumbersome. I quick touch of the screen would make things faster. Touch screen is also big in restaurants. as you can clean them easier and they take up less physical space Go to your average TGI-friday’s, applebees, heck even the corner pizza parlor has them and look around they are all touch screen
ken1w

Monday, May 19, 2008 - 4:45 pm · Reply

People are not going to work all day holding their hands and arms up to touch a vertical screen.

A hand held device (such as a small thin tablet) is the ideal use for this capability. And Apple will no doubt produce such a product real soon (a bigger iPhone).
Raymond from DC

Monday, May 19, 2008 - 6:00 pm · Reply

I gave up finger painting early in my childhood, so I’d like to see this technology put to real use – sort of like Apple did with multi-touch. But at the very least, perhaps they can replace the phony “big ass table” they use in CSI: Miami with something real. I wonder if Microsoft paid CBS a “placement” fee for that lab prop.
Noodle-Armed Choir Boy

Monday, May 19, 2008 - 11:55 pm · Reply

Hmmm, the computer from Minority Report, but even better because it doesn’t require the gloves.
Richard

Tuesday, May 20, 2008 - 3:25 am · Reply

This would be great in laptops – 2 monitors wedged together. One your multitouch, keyboard, playback controls, mouse pad etc. (or no mouse pad at all). And the other just the normal viewing screen.
ralph from berlin

Tuesday, May 20, 2008 - 7:29 am · Reply

@blackwebguy

the song is: U.N.K.L.E., Celestial Annihilation