Look ma, no hands

Recent research (1) demonstrates how humans can interact with computers by just using their eyes. It is interesting to ask why computers were designed at all with keyboard, mouse, monitor and such archaic constructs. Why do humans prefer to use their fingers instead of eyes and gestures to interact with machines? The answer simply is that bad industrial designs have conditioned people to expect less.

Carpal tunnel syndrome – the same issue faced by hunters and farmers from thousands of years ago is now prevalent in modern humans as they glibly type away on their keyboards because they were never given any other option. Intellectual giants of our times have designed personal computers and phones with touch screens – but they never asked why? They were following a chain of thought that prescribed the fundamental components of computing. Nobody had sufficient guts and capital to deviate from the status-quo. Bearers of fruits, goblins and micros may one day realize that they have taken humanity in the wrong direction with a dead end.

It is time to fundamentally challenge the basic designs of computing and human-machine interactions. With any luck, we can take the engineers through remedial training.

(1) Controlling your computer with your eyes. Published: Thursday, July 12, 2012 - 23:02 in Mathematics & Economics