Pranav Mistry: The thrilling potential of SixthSense technology

Pranav Mistry is the inventor of SixthSense, a wearable device that enables new interactions between the real world and the world of data.

Why you should listen to him:

Pranav Mistry is one of those unique and inspiring individuals who have the capability of not only changing the technological world, but the computing world for greater society as well. He is one of the world’s true visionaries, who excels at the ability to fuse design with programming knowledge.

Born in India, this computer scientist has obtained a number of degrees, including a B.A. in Computer Science and Engineering, an M.A in Media Arts and Sciences and a Master of Design from Industrial Design Centre. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate as a research assistant at MIT Media Lab. Mistry has also worked as a UX Researcher with Microsoft.

Even before his education has finished, Pranav Mistry had shown his capabilities as a designer and inventor with his creations including Mouseless – an invisible computer mouse, SPARSH – an innovative way to copy and paste between digital devices, Blinkbot – a gaze and blink controlled robot, a 3D pen, Quickies – intelligent sticky notes and his best known work on SixthSense. He has a lot of interests such as AI, Augmented reality, Ubiquitous computing Gestural interaction, machine vision, collective intelligence and robotics. Mistry is a self-proclaimed ‘Desigineer’.

SixthSense is Pranav Mistry’s most inspiring inventions to date. The technology sees users wear a device that visually augments surfaces and objects we are physically interacting with. This produces a gestural interface that mimics the physical world around us with digital information.

The system uses a camera and a tiny projector attempting to free information from its natural confinements by integrating it with reality and thus projecting the user’s entire world onto their computer.

Mistry’s innovation was presented to a TED conference in 2009 and quickly became the talking point of many computer science experts. This technology is an undoubtable force in the forging of new systems of both artificial intelligence and real life.

Some previous projects from Mistry’s work at MIT includes intelligent sticky notes, Quickies, that can be searched and can send reminders; a pen that draws in 3D; and TaPuMa, a tangible public map that can act as Google of physical world. His research interests also include Gestural and Tangible Interaction, Ubiquitous Computing, AI, Machine Vision, Collective Intelligence and Robotics.

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