Phidgets = Physical Widgets! Yes, for all your gadget enthusiasts, the latest thing that you can add to your computer is feelings.
Phidgets are the brainchild of Saul Greenberg at the Department of Computer Science, University of Calgary. Greenberg and his students are involved in the cross-disciplinary study of human computer interaction and computer supported hardware collaboration. The Canadian Human Computer Communications Society (CHCCS) Awards Committee announced Greenberg as the recipient of an achievement award, as one of the world’s leaders in human-computer interaction and computer-supported collaborative work.
Phidgets are devices that help a developer to construct a physical user interface, in the same way that widgets are used to create graphical user interfaces (GUI). What this means is that just like the GUI, which allows users to communicate with the computer, as both input and output device; phidgets allow users to interface or interact with their computers on a human level.
Phidgets are a set of building blocks for low cost sensing and control from your pc. The best thing about these gadgets is that you don’t need to be a hardware expert to attach a phidget to your computer. They can be hooked up to your computer via the USB port.
Different types of phidgets give your computer the chance to experience and react to various stimuli around it. Phidget sensors are available for senses like motion, temperature, vibration, light, humidity, distance, force sensors, and the like.
Phidgets can be easily incorporated into Microsoft® Robotics Studio. What this means is that hobbyists, academicians and commercial developers can use phidgets to create sophisticated robotics software applications.
You can purchase phidgets from www.Phidgets.com as per your requirement. Another site you can go to is www.phidgetsusa.com. This site is an independent reseller of phidgets.
In the future your computer could be telling you how it’s feeling. Could the philosophy behind phidgets be used in bionics? If this becomes a reality it would mean a world of a difference for people who have bionic limbs, but cannot sense the world around with these limbs. We can only wait and watch, as phidgets become next big thing on the block.
