SURFACE - Awesome

notsobig32 · Jan 23, 2009

hey all,

here is my dork post for the day. Check this newer technology being used out.
**broken link removed**

i have gotten a chance to work with it because of my job and it is absolutely amazing. it is being used with RFID in casinos so that every time you walk by an lcd display it reads the highest value chip(they are all rfid'd) and displays an appropriate ad. So if you got a $10 chip, you are getting a $20 seafood buffet ad displayed while if you have a $10k chip, you are seeing a Maserati ad=-)

its also being used in places where glasses are rfid'd at the bar. When the bartender enters your order and scans the glass, they bring it over and set it on the table. On the display next to your beverage, an index card with the recipe for your drink pops up. You can drag the cards around and do all that. I have also seen it where your bill is in the center of the surface and you can drag YOUR items off the bill and create your own bill and then pay for it all right there.

I am a true dork.....so, i find this stuff interesting. i am sure mooshue can chime in on some of the uses of RFID in the gaming industry. i am located on the East Coast and things out here are far outstripped by the big casinos out in vegas.

NCMAC · Jan 27, 2009

Very cool technology!..

Physick · Jan 27, 2009

I've seen this a few times now (not in real life) and it is unreal! I didn't realize that they were doing things like that with it already. Very very cool stuff. Technology like this is really going to change the way we look at and interact with computers and the like. It actually makes complicated technology much more user friendly since it uses basic intuitive skills that humans all ready possess. No need to learn complicated steps or be a good typer, things like that. Look at what the Wii did for gaming. They are playing it in senior homes because you just do the movements that come naturally for the most part. No button mashing, lol.
I've seen this thing used in a couple sci fi and action movies already and if you didn't know it was real you would swear it was just some special F/X prop they used. Can't wait to see what the next 10 years will bring.

notsobig32 · Jan 27, 2009

I am lucky to have gotten myself into a great company at a young age that is really involved with these technologies(think the people that invented most of them). I was on the consulting side of the house there for quite a few years and got to travel all over the country working with the latest and greatest technologies. I have to tell you that RFID and some of the other ancillary technologies associated with that are awesome. i did work for a major pet food manufacturer where they embedded biorhithmic(?) rfid's in the test animals and then fed them the different foods to monitor weight, heart rate, bp, core temp, all kinds of cool things. I have also gotten to work on RFID use for children's amusement parks. The parents and kids both get matching rfid bracelets and if one leaves the park without the other they can not only detect it but they can locate the other person by virtue of the bracelet(i am not sure if they implemented this one yet because of the cost).

All in all i have to say i am ever more excited about the possiblities becoming available to us everyday in the technology industry. I have gotten out of the bleeding edge technology industry and just write small applications now but i still try to stay current and it is an exciting time.