This Week's Issue

Technology

Keith Brophy, a technology entrepreneur, is CEO of award-winning Ideomed, which specializes in chronic disease self-management web and mobile tools. Previously, he was CEO and co-founder of Sagestone, president and co-owner of NuSoft Solutions and served in various technology and leadership roles at IBM, X-Rite and RCM Technologies. Keith is chairman of the advisory board for the Michigan Small Business and Technology Center, a past West Michigan entrepreneur of the year and for many years, has addressed audiences across the nation on future trends. Follow him on Twitter @streamrun

Your hands on the future

A screen shot from Fujitsu’s Sensor tablet prototype, which features advancements in touchscreen technology. Courtesy Fujitsu

The art of predicting which technology advances will have meaningful impacts on our lives has never been tougher.

We live in an age where, from a technology standpoint, so much of what we can conceive is at least theoretically possible: invisibility shields, spy drones the size of flies, virtual people that seem to be real — all of those have been done already, at least in research labs.

Predicting which technologies will actually roll out of research labs and into our hands requires a grounded view of how society assimilates technology and a recognition that the coolest, most far-fetched concepts rarely beat the small tech advances that make a difference in our lives.

iSkepticism

Many years ago, I gave a speech predicting future technology, where I forecast the coming impact of the then announced, but not-yet-released Apple iPhone. Up until that point in history, Apple had no phone product. My prediction, not necessarily visionary or bold, stands out in my mind, because it sparked a reaction.

Both during the speech and after, I was confronted by passionate audience members, pointing out what they thought was the folly of Apple releasing a mobile phone in a world already crowded with too many mobile phone choices.

Of course, the iPhone went on to re-define and extend the possibilities of mobile computing.

Although its advances were noteworthy, they were not breathtaking. They were simply incremental improvements that provided a slightly smoother way of accomplishing what other devices to a large extent were already capable of.

Next-level touchscreen

Another incremental advancement that may extend and re-define the way we interact with our devices was recently announced at the Mobile World Congress. CNN, Gizmag and many other tech media reported that Fujitsu demonstrated its prototype Sensor, a haptic sensory tablet.

As you interact with the touchscreen on this tablet, you experience the sensation of raised images and varying surface textures right on the touchscreen. An innovative use of ultrasonic vibrations under the surface is one of the key enabling technologies. This capability allows the user to carry out interactions such as petting an alligator and feeling its skin texture or spinning the knob of a combination safe, while one grasps it in hand, simply by interacting with the screen (both actions were reportedly demonstrated at the show).

Although Fujitsu's efforts are not the first exploration into new ways of tactile interaction, at this point, they seem to be leading the way into the future.

Touchscreens have existed for some time and seem to serve us well. So does this new approach have legs?

If you question whether the world needs this next-step interaction to become even more engaged with a mobile device, remember the lesson of Apple and the iPhone. Sometimes re-inventing the world happens in small ways, as well as big ones.

Alligators lurking on the fringes might hold more clues to the future than they appear to on the surface.

Restricted Content

About GRBJ

Since 1983, the Grand Rapids Business Journal has been West Michigan's primary and most-trusted source of local business news. The weekly print edition of the Business Journal, a must-read for the area’s top decision-makers, is known as the business newspaper of metro Grand Rapids, Holland, Muskegon and all of West Michigan.

grbj.com provides the same trusted and objective business reporting that the Business Journal is known for -- plus real-time original content, timely enewsletters/alerts, exclusive blogs and more. Business Journal subscribers receive the weekly print edition, including bonus publications like the annual Book of Lists, and also complete access to all content on grbj.com.

The Grand Rapids Business Journal is published by Gemini Publications.