Future Tech
Radar in your pocket?
By Phil on 27 January 2010
ESPOO, Finland – The mad scientists at Nokia Research Center are always brewing up something that let’s us peak behind the curtain of future mobile technologies. Some concoctions make it into our mobile phones, while others never make it outside the NRC building in Helsinki. “Mobile Radar” is definitely one I’d like to see in my handset sooner rather than later.
Unveiled today during “Demo House 2010” at Aalto University located just down the road from Nokia’s headquarters in Espoo, the “Mobile Radar” demo shows how you can measure an object’s distance, speed, and direction using a mobile device. It’s essentially the same technology the police use in their radars to give you a $239,000 speeding ticket. (it’s true, in Finland, speeding fines are based on your salary)
In the video shown below, you’ll see researcher Jani Ollikainen use his hand to adjust the music player’s volume, without ever touching the hardware. Even with an object in his way (like your pants pocket or even a wood door), the radar works without a hitch. In the second demo, you’ll see fellow researchers Terhi Rautiainen and Risto Kaunisto measure the distance, speed, and direction of a human walking.
The possibilities are endless with this technology. How about a home security system that alerts you if there’s movement in your house? Or how about some cool new gaming? Check out the video below and post how you’d like to see mobile radar used! But don’t get your hopes up that you’ll see this in a Nokia handset very soon, it’s still just a prototype.
Related posts:
- Mobile radar research concept (video)
- Official Nokia blog Podcast – N97, X6, Radar, stalking, talking & energy profiling
- The Way We Live Next
Tags | demo, Mobile Radar, Nokia Research Center, NRC, prototype
January 27th, 2010 at 10:08 am
The last time I see an N95 like that was at CES last year I think it was. Notice how the front is different, and the top slide is thicker than a normal N95 classic. I see the camera lens protection is also missing. Interesting. Any chance you guys could find out about this N95 used, and why it has this modifications to it please? I find it quite interesting.
Regards
@Mickyfin
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Phil Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 8:32 am
Yah it was a modified N95. They said the radar hardware takes up much of the space in the device, but it’s just a proto. They said the production hardware would be very small, and could even possibly use the existing radios.
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Micky Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 9:22 am
Thanks for the reply Phil
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Phil Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 11:57 am
You’re welcome
Lauri Gröhn Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 10:22 am
The demo presentation was not good. Something happened only after the hand almost touched the n95. The same with the approach demo.
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January 27th, 2010 at 2:21 pm
What kind of N95 prototype is that? Looks interesting.
The interesting question for me though is whether this can be achieved on any S60 phone since the N95 via software, or if it requires further hardware mods like a fixed antenna.
I wish Nokia would push these attempts much further and show more often how advanced the technology inside really is – and then push software on the market that makes use of these sensors (see also the gyrosensor and how many apps make use of it on Nokia phones vs. iPhone).
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Phil Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 8:33 am
My guess is it’s an old N95 proto laying around, they just ripped out the parts they didn’t need and stuck in the new parts they did need. There’s lots of old protos laying around Nokia offices obviously, we wouldn’t want to waste a new device me thinks.
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January 27th, 2010 at 9:07 pm
That was so cool! Especially working over that cap.
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January 27th, 2010 at 10:54 pm
Great.. But lets hope Nokia actually DO something with this… Haptikos??? NFC (Its been YEARS and no roll out!?) Accelerometer – literally no support for a long long while – only started using it after apple showed them how to. Nokia – you are incredible innovators but terrible implementers. (Sorry, I love you guys, I just wish you thought of the details/ease of use… unfortunately like apple)(yes I know they are a closed system which I hate but Nokia could be so good….)
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January 27th, 2010 at 11:07 pm
What N95 was that?!
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January 29th, 2010 at 7:38 am
Its looking really good
when it becomes at markets?
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January 29th, 2010 at 9:43 pm
I would like to see this technology, or other, implemented to trigger and emergency call, for example, in case someone feels seriously seek could make a movement with the arm, hand, and the phone would dial itself and switch on the speaker and send the locations coordinated of the seek person for example.
In conexion with that,
When someone is alone there is a high probability of dying when suffering a heart attack or ictus, the phone could be activated to force the owner to press a key every certain period of time or detect people’s movement, emit a signal and if the person remains still make an emergency call. I bet this could be quite advantageous for old people.
They are just a couple of ideas.
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February 15th, 2010 at 9:55 pm
Nice concept, but how to differentiate between gestures and thereby decide if og not to turn up the volume.. If the phone turns up the volume every time you move an object away from it, it will turn the volume up every time you take it out of your pocket, leave it on a table ect.
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