Talk To The Hand!

[Ed Hansberry]

<a href="http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?contentid=1969">http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?contentid=1969</a><br /><br />"NTT DoCoMo is doing some R&amp;D into different techniques to make mobile an always present technology. The FingerWhisper is currently being developed at the NTT DoCoMo Yokosuka R&amp;D center is a new kind of wearable telephone handset that utilizes the human hand as part of the receiver. Worn on the wrist, this watch-like terminal converts voice to vibration through an actuator and channels this vibration through the bones to the tip of the index finger. By inserting this finger into the ear canal, the vibration can be heard as voice. We call this process the bone conduction receiving mechanism. "<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/hansberry/2003/20031218-fingerwhisper.jpg" /><br /><br />In other words, talk to the hand! <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/hansberry/2003/20031218-talk2hand.gif" /> I'm not sure how I feel about using body parts as communication tools. First person to joke about needing to go the bathroom to print out a fax though may be taking a vacation for a few days. :lol:

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

I don't think this will take off but I can almost see this being useful for noisy areas where it would be difficult to hear people directly through speaker of a cellphone or through a hands-free set.

Leave it to the Japanese to come up with this... they have a lot of technologies over there that get hot in Japan but never see the light of day elsewhere.

[madsmurf]

It just doesn't seem very sanitary... especially during the Flu season. And then... you could just be talking to someone and then have to hand the phone off to someone else... "Hold on one second, Hey buddy... lemme stick my finger in your ear and get real close so our Bones vibrate" 8O :mrgreen:

[tsb_hcy]

I bet is has negative long term health effects, similar to the rumble feature of video game controllers. Besides, if you answer your 'hand' on the subway or another place full of people, do you really want to stick your finger in your ear after you've touched the handbar that a thousand other people have touched recently? Disgusting.

[buutruong]

c'mon guys, if you count the number of times you put your hands on your face, touch your eyes, rub your nose, scratch your years, touch your lips in a single day you'll see that this idea won't be so unsanitary after all. You all make it sound like you are the most sanitary people on this earth. I don't think you actually stick your finger ALL the way into your ear canal, probably just barely touching the outside of it.

Now, if y'all just wash your hands often like you're supposed to, you'll be fine.

[delanco]

No more long nails for the ladies!

[szamot]

I was thinking more along the lines of sharing the phone. It will be like this, hey buddy you want to talk to him, let me stick my finger in your ear.
8O

[Jonathan1]

*shrugs* Medical gloves or more accurately someone will sell index finger covers. I'd be more concerned with people thinking your digging in your ear. :worried: :D

This is really cool. The next step will be directional audio. Forget about putting your finger in your ear. The audio encompasses your head. Don’t know how they will do it but it’ll happen at some point. Bring on the star trek com badge!! :rock on dude!:

[S0ylentK]

There is a video at
http://www.euronews.net/create_html.php?page=hitech&langue=en&PHPSESSID=230b94475fb650820c01aeccef57c0be if that doesn't work then its at http://www.euronews.net/ under the Hi-Tech the pic is obvious which one it would be.

[welmoed]

I'm curious, though... if the sound is via bone conduction and the mike is in the watch, why is there a cord coming out of the watch? What does it lead to... the battery?

--Welmoed

[adamz]

@Jonathan1: Finger condoms...
http://saraglove.com/familydetails.asp?cat1ID=110&cat1Name=Industrial+Gloves&cat2ID=38&cat2Name=Finger+Cots&familyID=250&familyName=Latex+Finger+Cots

Anyway, having to put your finger in your ear to hear stuff is kind of stupid. Fingers need to be used for steering and picking things up. Why don't they just make your skull vibrate? I'd rather just be able to hear the voice communications with my EARS not my finger.

[bjornkeizers]

Pretty old news. Seen it weeks ago on the news.

While I agree with the others about sticking fingers in ears, I could see this taking off.. I imagine it's impossible to eavesdrop on a conversation if it's all inside your skull 8O And I imagine it's much more easy to hear a conversation in a crowded place then with a normal speaker. I imagine that big 'ole index finger provides some good noise reduction :D

As for Star Trek combadges.. I would love one for the geek factor, complete with voice activation and such, but if you're having a.. shall we say intimate conversation with spouse/lover/girlfriend/boyfriend/doctor or whatever, you wouldn't want people listening in on that.

[Steven Cedrone]

As for Star Trek combadges.. I would love one for the geek factor, complete with voice activation and such, but if you're having a.. shall we say intimate conversation with spouse/lover/girlfriend/boyfriend/doctor or whatever, you wouldn't want people listening in on that.

For that, you would need "The Cone Of Silence"... (http://www.cinerhama.com/getsmart/innovations.html) :lol:

Steve

[Rondjones54]

What if you're picking your nose when the phone goes off?
Or better yet, what if your ..........?????
This could get real interesting!

[theon]

As for Star Trek combadges.. I would love one for the geek factor, complete with voice activation and such, but if you're having a.. shall we say intimate conversation with spouse/lover/girlfriend/boyfriend/doctor or whatever, you wouldn't want people listening in on that.

Would you really want your girlfriend to keep touching her breasts in public during an intimate conversation? :wink:

[freitasm]

[quote="Jonathan1Bring on the star trek com badge!! :rock on dude!:[/quote]

Have a look at Vocera (http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?contentid=1806). They've pretty cool stuff, and is being tried by the US Navy as we speak too - hmmm perhaps the Navy, the Philadelphia Project, and... Oh, forget it... :roll:

Make sure you watch their video. Pretty cool voice recognition really.

[David Prahl]

I saw this on Slashdot a few months ago - very cool!

Anyone know anything about battery life? Or where I can get a review unit?

[Pat Logsdon]

shall we say intimate conversation with spouse/lover/girlfriend/boyfriend/doctor or whatever, you wouldn't want people listening in on that.
I'd hate to tell the proctologist that he had a phone call during an examination...

:mrgreen:

:twak:

[David Prahl]

I'd hate to tell the proctologist that he had a phone call during an examination...

:mrgreen:

:twak:

:jawdrop:

[adamz]

What if you're picking your nose when the phone goes off?
Or better yet, what if your ..........?????
This could get real interesting!


Do you think it has a vibrate mode?

[Jonathan1]

[sick little monkey mode=on]

Hmmm. There could be whole new uses for 1-900 numbers. 8O :oops:


[/sick little monkey mode=off]

[Phoenix]

ROTF!!! The FingerWhisper? Now this is stupid.

I applaud research, but if someone wants to look like a complete and total idiot with their finger stuck in their ear while they're talking to themselves - I say to them, knock yourself out, but for cripes sake, don't these developers understand anything about style?

Not for me.

Besides, while they're at it, why not make it so that they can get the same effect but with their finger stuck up their nose. Maybe they could kill two birds with one stone, LMAO...

[WillyG]

From the manual:
Setting up a call conference from one group to another.
1 Call the desired number on the watch
2 Stick your left index finger in your right ear
3 Stick your right index finger in your colleagues ear
4 Press the bond button on your watch with the tip of your nose, to have your colleague connected to the group.
5 Make your coleague stick his/her left finger in the next groupmembers right ear. Member 2 can now bond number 3 on his/her watch with his/her right hand. After the next member is added member 2 are free to take notes with the right hand.
6 Repeat point 2-5 for the desired number of partipicants

TIP:
In large groups standing/sitting in a circle works best. In smaller groups line mode can be used. In line-mode however its important to terminate the line. This must be done by the last member only, by sticking his right thumb up his/her........

Signal strength:
Signal strenght can be improved by raising the antennas of all members equiped with such. This can be done by.....
...avoid touching the andtenna during a call...

...the phone can be used to reciewe faxes.....avoid accepting group faxes as all units must be connected during the incoming fax transmission.....fax-spam can be a real pain in the terminator.

May i take my vacation now? ;)

[WillyG]

I'm curious, though... if the sound is via bone conduction and the mike is in the watch, why is there a cord coming out of the watch? What does it lead to... the battery?

--Welmoed

The cord is probably connected to his antenna or the print-out device.

[WillyG]

Well, this product is not for me. Im not comfy having strangers ringing my bells...