Several companies have developed bio-sensor and signal processing hardware and accompanying software API's that allows a user to control computer systems via their thoughts and intentions. The hardware is part of a biofeedback system that reads brain waves via electroencephalography (EEG). The hardware itself is not new. EEG has been used in biofeedback systems for psychiatric use for many years. However, some new companies are looking to expand the range of computer programs that can be controlled via biofeedback. As an added bonus, these companies make the hardware look cool. NeuroSky, Emotiv Systems, and S.M.A.R.T. Brain Games are just three of the companies that are working to make this bio-feedback hardware cheaper and more useful for the general public.

Sony released a video of their new flexible thin film display. The display is thin enough to bend like paper and displays full color images. The display is created using a combination of 'thin film transistor' and 'organic electroluminescent display' (OLED) technologies. At the moment Sony is not 100% certain what future applications to which the technology will be applied. However, I think that their wallpaper idea may have some wings. How great would it be to be able to repaint a whole room just by flicking a switch? Or even better, change the color based on the time of day?

Microsoft unveiled their new 'Surface' multi-touch computer. A 30in touch screen monitor is mounted into a table top to give you that $10,000 coffee table you always wanted for your living room. The articles I read don't say much about how the screen actually functions, but it is said that the screen sits below an acrylic surface - 5 cameras are also mounted below the surface of the table to sense nearby objects. It's the acrylic surface that really brings to mind Jeff Han's multi-touch display. The method used in the presentation -- showing off paint and photo manipulation abilities of the interface by starting with one finger and then spreading all five fingers across the screen (each finger carrying it's own thread from the display) sounds like it is straight from Jeff Han at TED.

The guy who runs infosthetics recently went to a conference on pervasive computing (those crazy people with budgets, huh). He sat in on a talk by Adam Greenfield about the ethics of ubiquitous computing. The talk was about the ethics of ubiquitous computing, aka 'everyware' (software that is ubiquitous). The 5 points Adam lays out are:

(1) all ubiquitous systems should default to harmlessness.
(2) ubiquitous systems should be self-disclosing (e.g. be clearly perceptible, "seamlessness" must be an optional mode of operation). proposal of 5 different graphical icons to disclose capabilities of an object (see first image above the post).

NASA is testing a portable surgery robot in an underwater testing environment. The test will involve a remote surgeon sewing a tear in a rubber tube and conducting a skill test used for student doctors. The delay time between the movement of the robot and the feedback to the surgeon will be about 1 second. The connection will travel via 'a commercial Internet connection' from Seattle to Key Largo, FL. Then by wireless connection to a bouy. The Raven portable medical robot is tethered to the bouy. There is no further description of the internet connection used in the article...ISDN? IP2 with standard of service protocol?

I saw this article on BoingBoing. It is a summary of the various computer interaction technologies from science fiction movies. All the biggies and a few I've never heard of are represented -- Star Trek, Star Wars, The Matrix, Total Recall, Minority Report, Futurama. In particular I was attracted to the 3D table from X-Men. It looks sort of like magnetic ferrofluids, doesn't it? I wonder if the shape of electro-magnetic fields can be controlled to that sort of extend?

Emotiv Systems has developed a neural processing helmet called Project Epoc. The helmet consists of several sensors placed on the head. The helmet is being marketed to gamers who can control the motion of in game items using their thoughts. The helmet also allows video games to respond to the level of excitement of the player, and reflect facial impressions.

Emotiv Website

This is some more 'old news', but this time it comes with a video. The monkey in the video is controlling the robotic arm via sensors attached to it's brain. The arm feeds the monkey. The monkey has the sensors embedded into the brain.
Here's a link to the lab carrying out the research.

Researchers are creating a Haptic glove that is designed to help the wearer feel the actual touch of fabrics. In testing to be done soon, a person will wear the glove and identify fabrics by touch - then the same fabrics will be tested by the subject without using the glove.

This particular haptic device uses piezo-electric controlled pins that stimulate the touch sensors on the skin.

The Musion Eyeliner from Musion Systems is a 3D holographic display capable of showing full sized images of people or even cars. The Musion Eyeliner is being used by Toyota to promote their new concept car. An exhibit is live at the Bluewater Shopping center in Kent, UK until about February 20th.

The display creates a 5m x 3m (16.5 ft x 9.8 ft) image using a single projector. Images are similarly captured using one camera. Setting up the Musion Eyeliner requires an additional 4m (13 ft) of depth. Sets can be as big as 20m x 100m. Musion claims that their displays can be used to play electronic games...

This is a demonstration of the M2 Heliodisplay from IO2 Technology.

The M3 and M3i models are available for the reasonable price of about $19,000. The display projects an image onto a jet of continuously moving air. As you can see from the video, the inventor has made it possible to interact with the device.

The United States Army has been developing a high-tech system for facilitating communications between infantry men and improving their over-all effectiveness. The system includes GPS tracking technology, wearable computers, new input devices (that can be mounted on a weapon), digital optics, and laser range finding devices. While not necessarily designed for space, there are tremendous opportunities for combing some of these existing technologies to improve everyone’s over-all space experience. Many of these technologies could be used for non-military purposes.

The United States Army has been developing a high-tech system for facilitating communications between infantry men and improving their over-all effectiveness. The system includes GPS tracking technology, wearable computers, new input devices (that can be mounted on a weapon), digital optics, and laser range finding devices. While not necessarily designed for space, there are tremendous opportunities for combing some of these existing technologies to improve everyone’s over-all space experience. Many of these technologies could be used for non-military purposes.

While the Wii controller wasn't developed with space travel or colonization in mind, the simplicty of the design could certainly help us in understanding how to develop new interactive controls.
Controlling the Robosapien with the Wii remote - shake it baby!
Using the Wii-mote to navigate Google Earth
Use the Wii-mote to direct missles! Now that's pretty sweet.
Use the Wii-mote to control a sword fighting robotic arm!