Just over a year ago i first saw this video of Johnny Lee creating a multi-touch (touchless) interface using a Wii remote. Though I thought that the idea was neat and that Johnny was a genius, I kind of wrote it off as a follower of the muti-touch trend. A few months later I saw this video. This time Johnny is creating a fairly stunning head tracking interface, again using the Wii remote and a few parts. Once more I was thoroughly impressed with Mr. Lee’s innovation, but I still wasn’t really catching the “why” other than making some cool things happen with a Wiimote and a PC…until I saw his TED talk.
Johnny Lee is setting a new standard for hi-tech research, and he is doing so by making it available to everyone. Using a camcorder and YouTube, he is teaching the world how to create devices that are at the frontline of innovation. This can empower users of technology and fosters much stronger development of products. Rather than developing in a box, he is trying to make everyone a part of the process.