Cloud Mirror Adds Internet To Your Morning Ritual

This mirror has a large monitor behind it which can be operated using hand gestures. It’s the result of a team effort from [Daniel Burnham], [Anuj Patel], and [Sam Bell] to build a web-enabled mirror for their ECE 4180 class at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

So far they’ve implemented four widget for the system. You can see the icons which activate each in the column to the right of the mirror. From top to bottom they are Calendar, News, Traffic, and Weather. The video after the break shows the gestures used to control the display. First select the widget by holding your hand over the appropriate icon. Next, bring that widget to the main display area by swiping from right to left along the top of the mirror.

Hardware details are shared more freely in their presentation slides (PDF). A sonar distance sensor activated the device when a user is close enough to the screen. Seven IR reflectance sensors detect a hand placed in front of them. We like this input method, as it keep the ‘display’ area finger-print free. But we wonder if the IR sensors could be placed behind the glass instead of beside it?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMn7XY8uzgw&w=470]

21 thoughts on “Cloud Mirror Adds Internet To Your Morning Ritual

  1. Very interesting… While it would definitely be the ultimate in bathroom multi-tasking I can’t help but think there must be some other use where this application would truly have a niche.

  2. I’ve had a 19″ flat panel IN MY SHOWER for 4 years now, I copied the idea from a mildly rich guys home I saw in 1995.

    This is not new in any way. In fact you can buy waterproof trackpoint mice so you can click and drool while showering, I typically just have the news on and the overhead speakers deliver the sound.

    only thing novel here is the touchscreen part, and that will fail in a normal bathroom as it will be covered in moisture. Spray your iphone and see how well it works for touch input.

    1. Apparently you didn’t even bother reading the article or watching the video (Once again… Seems to be a trend with you.), as there is absolutely no touch screen involved whatsoever.

      Oh and what do they say when people know others are bullshitting? That’s right, pics or it didn’t happen…

      I’m in agreement with Alex on this, sounds like you’re just wanting to boast about having a flat panel in your shower, even though you more than likely don’t actually have one, nor the means or know how to install one yourself (again, like many of your posts here).

    1. Anyone remember the Man Bathroom from Home Improvement? Had a phone, a television, everything. I think my uncle had a combination phone/radio/magazine rack/TP holder in his bathroom when I was a kid.

  3. You could hide the senors with a nice wooden frame round the mirror. Using CE and C# ewwww.. I guess it was required for the class.

    Really kind of cool. I thought about using a big screen TV as a mirror in my bedroom. Just use a web cam to provide the picture but this is even cooler.

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