alt Hacker NewsTurning a MacBook into a touchscreen with $1 of hardware (2018)
Comments
I wouldn't want a touchscreen MBP even if it was free, anyone else feel similar?
I don't get the draw - we already optimize for keyboard commands to avoid living our fingers over to a touchpad. Why would I want to start clicking on my screen?
If you're using your computer for tasks (rather than entertainment) and you're not a visual designer, I don't get why Apple are apparently going to be putting them into the new MBP line later this year.
My previous work provided laptop had a touchscreen and I miss it (for the record, the screen didn't fold 180). It was useful about once a week and I completely forgot about it the rest of the time.
Two primary use cases. Sitting on the train with the laptop in my actual lap it was often more convenient to reach for the screen instead of the trackpad, especially when I had someone sitting next to me on the right and I didn't want to stab them in their ribcage with my elbow so I could reach the trackpad. Second use case was often scrolling while reading, for some reason (phone-scrolling-indoctrination I guess) it felt natural to scroll using finger on screen.
The screen was never my primary pointing device but it was always an option. I think it was annoying a handful of times during the two years I had it, you point at something on the screen and end up clicking something.
Love it! I appreciate the ethos of doing more with existing hardware. Adding an actual touchscreen would add real COGs to a macbook, and many potential failure points. Using the existing camera hardware + software seems to produce a "good enough" result for most people for casual use. I'm sure with some time and eng, Apple could make the "hack" shippable. But it doesn't earn product managers the big big bonuses, so it'll never happen.
> "Filter for skin colors and binary threshold"
Which skin colours? The image below that has a lot of colours that I'd associate with darker skin colours, and they're not included in the triggering zone. I'd be interested to see some data on hoe well it works with someone who has dark skin
Touch screens are not pleasant for laptops. I prefer not to have them.
This is cool. Simple prototype. Is it dependent on lighting ... what if you are outside or backlit or glare etc...?
What a super neat application of computer vision. Cool writeup. Thanks for sharing the code and making it open source too!
I was laughing so much. Thank you. Unexpected tech!
Reminds me of Johnny Lee's Wii-mote projects...
Ignoring whether touchscreen laptops are actually a good idea, I "OOF"ed out loud at this line.
> Filter for skin colors and binary threshold
Skin has an extremely broad range of colors that are also lighting dependent. I'd have gone with background subtraction.
People use their laptops under various lighting conditions. I can imagine it would be difficult (or likely impossible) to bring this PoC to a solid production level technology. It looks like a fun project though.
This is amazing. They should start to install upward looking cameras to implement this officially.
I almost hear that screen cracking when accidentally closing macbook with the camera inside...
I love Mac since I started using it in 2020, but boy this hardware is fragile. I am scared that I will be held accountable for fixing a broken screen of my work MBP
I don't even imagine how I would be tapping on the screen of my MacBook, not because of its form factor or design, but because of the macOS system itself. It's a different story with the iPad where you can do it endlessly...
As other people mentioned this is obviously not something I would want in my notebook... but I can still appreciate the cool tech!
I can also definitely see this kind of thing being used in things budget outdoor displays, specially if the UI is made to accommodate the lack of accuracy, and the camera is positioned on the side (since these displays are usually vertical).
Don't love touchscreens that much.
But I did love my Toshiba Satellite. It was like writing on paper!
Down with capacitive screens and long live Active Digitizers!
Using an external webcam is that not more than $1? cool project though; reminds me of how you could use a Wii remote to create a interactive whiteboard.
I always say, people who want a touchscreen on their Laptop never used a really good trackpad. I never missed a touchscreen on my MacBook but when I do something on someone else’s Windows Laptop I often prefer to touch the screen because the trackpad is just terrible.
The reason we buy macbooks is because they aren't touchscreens.
Is there a coating you can apply to the glass to help with smudge marks?
I think I could do this for less than 15 cents: four small peices of double sided tape, and the tiny mirror, and two hair pins... but the software? Priceless.
I wonder how well this would work with my bright blue fingernails that are about .5" longer than my finger.
I then wonder how much recalibration I would have to do when one of them broke and I was poking directly at the screen.
sooo clever
Brilliant!
Checking this profile of a random hacker in 2018, of course they are now working on AI.
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Neeeeveeeer!!! please let macbooks be as they are .. why would I ever choose to put fingers on that beautful screen ... I don't get it!
Still an amazing hack today and I love it. However, I heard Apple are developing a touch screen MacBook this year, and I simply don't get why they're doing that. I don't know what's worse, the ergonomics or the fingerprints.
"We've done tons of user testing on this, and it turns out it doesn't work. Touch surfaces don't want to be vertical. It gives great demo but after a short period of time, you start to fatigue and after an extended period of time, your arm wants to fall off. it doesn't work, it's ergonomically terrible."
-Steve Jobs, 2010
https://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-touch-screen-mac-...