Projected touchscreen technology has been making serious strides over the last two years. Companies like Ubi Interactive and Light Blue Optics have been developing software approaches to co-ordinate projector technology with depth sensors. The goal is to building systems that would allow people to interact with projected data on any number of improvised surfaces. Microsoft has been pushing the field forward with the development of it’s own Kinect sensor, while development teams at its Redmond research facility have also used other short ranged sensors, to build the OmniTouch system.
As is the way with digital technologies, these systems are beginning to migrate into domestic use through a combination of fashionable and, increasingly, wearable designs. The Cicret bracelet aims to replace the smartphone in your pocket with a wifi and Bluetooth enabled device on your wrist that will allow you to browse the web and access your e-mail. The wristband does this by combining a pico projector and an array of proximity sensors. So far there is no indication that the wristband will be able to handle phone calls without a connection to your smartphone, though that would be a logical next step.
Cicret is now raising funds for the completion of a working prototype, which they say will be ready in mid-January (the video above shows a mockup, not the prototype) and has released a promotional video to drive home the point that whereas Google glasses failed by being bulky and cumbersome, Cicret’s wristband will succeed by being a light and inconspicuous accessory.
Whether or not the bracelet takes off remains to be seen. The company is eyeing a price tag in the range of $400 USD.