Interactive Mirror allows the user to use it simultaneously both as a regular mirror and a digital display. Its touch-sensitive mirror-like surface can be drawn on and display a variety of interactive content, including images, which can be rearranged on-screen, and text which the user can view at different angles and font sizes.
The new mirror was developed as part of the designers’ effort to dive deeper into HCI (Human Computer Interaction). Built with easily acquired parts, the interactive mirror offers an innovative interface, which according to its creator, Alpay Kasal of LitStudios, was intentionally designed to be “non-computery”, so that people who aren’t technology savvy will find it usable. The product was jointly designed with Sam Ewen, founder and CEO of Interference Inc. – a creative marketing firm, based in New York.
“The cognitive machine that is your brain automatically deals with things like size and distance and perspective, a job it hopefully does fairly well, you don’t have to give a mirror’s reflection much thought. However, interacting with buttons and animation layered on your reflection and the world behind you is unlike any other touchscreen experience. This unexpectedness, to me, is precisely the allure of HCI and all things touch-capable” – said Kasal.
According to Kasal, the inspiration for this innovative concept came after seeing dielectric glass mirrors with LCD panels built into them. Such devices are meant to become widely used in bathrooms of the future, complete with news and weather to accompany people during their morning’s routine. Kasal’s goal was to bring a “human touch,” to these gadgets of the future, literally. As can be seen in this YouTube video, the Interactive Mirror can display a wide variety of content, which can be manipulated by the user simply by touching the mirror surface. While the novel mirror doesn’t currently have any really practical features, its creators say that future models might include more useful applicat ions.
The Interactive Mirror has several features, but currently none that solve any real-life need; at most, it resembles the iPhone but on a larger scale (when rearranging photos, for instance). However, the mere concept of employing such an interface could set a new standard in human – computer interaction. The product is currently patent-pending, and LitStudios haven’t released any details on its estimated price.
TFOT has previously covered the Talking Mirror, a new kind of digital assistant, the Magic Mirror, which can change from a reflective mirror to an LCD display screen and vice-versa, and Microsoft’s new LucidTouch device that allows the user to control onscreen applications by touching the back of the see-through device. Other related TFOT stories include Object, a gadget which offers a unique photographic experience, and Tai-Chi, a new technology that will allow users to convert virtually any tangible objects into interactive surfaces.
For more information about the Interactive Mirror, see LitStudios’ blog post.
