Skip to Content

Super secret spy iPhone

Reader Alex Bratton over at Lextech let us know about a fun iPhone project they're working on. Most high-end surveillance systems use a joystick or mouse to control those cameras that we see all over the place. Lextech has done some work using the touchscreen of the iPhone to replace the old 70's UI tech.

To pan the surveillance camera, you scroll the screen left or right using the traditional iPhone finger drag; tilt is done by dragging a finger up and down. Want to zoom in for details on the bad guys? Use the iPhone "reverse pinch" gesture to get the close-up. And if you want to zoom back out to get the big picture, it's a simple pinch on the iPhone display.

Videos demonstrating the control system are on the Lextech site and on YouTube.

Reader Alex Bratton over at Lextech let us know about a fun iPhone project they're working on. Most high-end surveillance systems use a...
 

Add a Comment

*0 / 3000 Character Maximum

11 Comments

Filter by:
Doug

Alex, that is hands-down the coolest iPhone app I have seen!

After initially thinking that the Accelerometers would have made for cool pan/tilt, I came to the conclusion before reading these comments that it wouldn't work that well. I think there are 2 problems: 1) The transport delay. Even on a WiFi connection there is an annoying delay between "stimulus" and "response". Studies in the '60s showed that most people can never get used to even a 500ms. delay in a control system that depends on visual feedback. And if you were on an EDGE connection, forget it! 2) The accelerometer "scaling" would have to be too touchy, to avoid having to contort your body to still see the screen while tilting it like a crazy marble game. Add the visual-feedback-destroying transport delay, and ewww!

The "swipe" pan/tilt works a little better, because it is easier to "take another swipe", than it is to keep tilting. I guess the real problem is the massive "pan" range (even up to 360 deg. on some cameras).

I say, you're going to end up either keeping the swipe gestures, or coming up with some sort of "The farther off "flat", the faster you KEEP scrolling toward the "lower" side(s) of the iPhone/iPod Touch. But, those systems have to have a prodigious "deadband" (think of a virtual circular bubble-level), so that you aren't clogging the comm channel with endless streams of PTZ commands, like MIDI real-time controllers tend to do with that interface.

I have some additional capabilities for this excellent beginning that I'd love to discuss with you off-list, if you are interested.

May 09 2008 at 10:23 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to Doug's comment
Alex Bratton

Doug,
From our speed testing with the touch side of things on wifi we can get

May 10 2008 at 7:53 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Alex Bratton

Whoops, don't use less than signs in a comment :-)

Doug,
From our speed testing with the touch side of things on wifi we can get less than 100ms response times typically. It will spike to 200+ ms as well (we're seeing the wifi latency itself as a bit inconsistent).

Definitely like to talk more offline. Please drop me a line at alex.bratton@lextech.com

May 10 2008 at 7:56 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Gianni

Would be even cooler if you could pan with the accelerometers! Awesome concept non-the-less.

May 09 2008 at 7:57 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to Gianni's comment
Andrew Scott

I was thinking just the same thing. Now that *would* be cool

May 09 2008 at 8:26 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Alex Bratton

We tried that out (the accelerometers) and it wasn't as intuitive as the touch interface (didn't seem to work as you'd expect as a user). We're still playing with it and will post another video if we get it to a point we're happy with it.

May 09 2008 at 9:02 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
mwinterholler

"Reverse Pinch" = Stretch?

May 09 2008 at 7:23 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Adam

Could be refined, though I see it being practical at some point. Would be neat for remote access or even home application. Imagine your doorbell rings and you take out your iPhone and you see who is there.

May 09 2008 at 5:43 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
3 replies to Adam's comment
Buy an ad here

Hot Apps on TUAW

Tweets

© 2012 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.