The Polyopticon™ is a platform technology – a device – offering a 360° by 360° display that uses an internal positioning system to enable users to:
- Orient multiple information windows in context
- Manipulate information in a 4-dimensional (3 physical dimensions plus time) format
- Build relationships among screens / applications / devices represented on the display
The patent-pending temporal-haptic interface device enables new modes of operation in command-and-control situations by modeling and recording physical cues and interactions with large data sets and virtual application environments on the back end.
Central to the Polyopticon’s™ functionality is the 4-D perception device. By implementing an internal gyro-positioning / accelerometer unit, and tying the output of this element to the device’s CPU, the Polyopticon™ tracks the user’s physical navigational movements in time and space. The device allows users to manipulate data in an individual window or panel, and “drag” or carry it to another.
The 4-D perception device allows for the creation of a new and novel set of interface metaphors based on selection, movement, storage, and playback of sessions with the device. In short, the device enables new kinds of interactions with dense, complex information sets served using virtual resources.
The Polyopticon™ surface is selectively touch-sensitive, enabling virtual input from a a “soft” keyboard – areas representing keys projected “virtually” on to the device’s surface. In the same way, a mouse or other 2-D tracking device can be implemented. The Polyopticon™ reduces both physical and mental stress by providing degrees of visual and kinetic freedom that traditional 2-dimensional interfaces cannot match.
