Learn English with the News: “The future of computing?”

Oh, hai!

Welcome to the future. Well, it looks like the future…

Surrounded by smart phones and tablets, reading devices and new computer games, this new invention will revolutionize the technology world.

Want to know more? Then follow the steps:

1. Read the text
2. Understand the vocabulary
3. Watch the video

Text

A user perceives a 3 dimensional display that floats approximately 40 centimetres in front of their face… when in fact it’s being projected on the lenses of a pair of wearable glasses.

ITRI’s Golden Tiao says the device uses a depth camera that records a user’s hand movements. These movements are then processed and displayed on the monitors in the glasses.

– The greatest challenge in this technology lies in the head mounted device – the image is displayed right in front of the user’s eyes while the depth camera captures the hand and finger gestures. These two things, the visual display output and the image captured by the cameras, must precisely aligned together to allow the system to work.

The current prototype is capable of dialing a phone and sketching… but Tiao says these functions are just the beginning.

– This wearable device works wherever a user goes because the display device is transparent and it does not block the person from the outside world. A user could be sending messages or navigating the Internet while still interacting with the outside world at any time.

The researchers hope to commercialize “Air Touch” within two years and estimate the initial cost at around $500 USD.

Vocabulary

Perceives – to notice or become aware of (something).

Floats – to be carried along by moving water or air.

Lenses – a clear curved piece of glass or plastic that is used in eyeglasses, cameras, telescopes, etc., to make things look clearer, smaller, or bigger.

Wearable – capable of being worn : suitable to wear.

Monitors – a device that is used for showing, watching, or listening to something: such as a :a device that shows information or images on a screen.

Aligned – to arrange things so that they form a line or are in proper position.

Sketching – a quick, rough drawing that shows the main features of an object or scene.

Estimate – a guess that you make based on the information you have about the size, amount, etc., of something.

Video