Johnny Lee (computer scientist)
Encyclopedia
Johnny Chung Lee is a Human-Computer Interaction researcher currently working at Google
. Lee is best known for his work on Kinect development, extending the functionality of the Wii Remote
controller of the Wii
video game console, most notably by taking advantage of its high resolution IR camera.
Lee's other projects include an interactive whiteboard
, 3D head tracking, finger tracking
, and a DIY telepresence
robot.
Lee completed his Ph.D. at Carnegie Mellon University
's Human-Computer Interaction Institute, and was named one of the world's top 35 innovators under 35 (TR35
) in 2008. YouTube
videos created for Lee's projects have received almost 10 million views, with the Wii Remote head tracking project being the most highly rated video on YouTube of all time for more than a week in January 2008. He also demonstrated several of these applications at the prestigious TED conference, and has been featured on popular websites such as Slashdot
, Gizmodo
, hackedgadgets, Popular Science
, Wired
Blogs and Engadget
several times. Various magazine, newspapers and television programs have featured interviews with Lee as well. Lee has also made invited appearances at events such as Maker Faire
.
Electronic Arts
had initially stated that Lee's Wii Remote head tracking technology would appear as an Easter egg
in the game Boom Blox
, but later announced that the feature had been removed.
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
. Lee is best known for his work on Kinect development, extending the functionality of the Wii Remote
Wii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
controller of the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
video game console, most notably by taking advantage of its high resolution IR camera.
Lee's other projects include an interactive whiteboard
Interactive whiteboard
An interactive whiteboard , is a large interactive display that connects to a computer and projector. A projector projects the computer's desktop onto the board's surface where users control the computer using a pen, finger, stylus, or other device...
, 3D head tracking, finger tracking
Finger tracking
In the field of technology and image processing, finger tracking is a high-resolution technique that is employed to know the consecutive position of the fingers of the user and hence represent objects in 3D....
, and a DIY telepresence
Telepresence
Telepresence refers to a set of technologies which allow a person to feel as if they were present, to give the appearance of being present, or to have an effect, via telerobotics, at a place other than their true location....
robot.
Lee completed his Ph.D. at Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
's Human-Computer Interaction Institute, and was named one of the world's top 35 innovators under 35 (TR35
TR35
The TR35 is an annual list published by MIT Technology Review magazine, naming the world's top 35 innovators under the age of 35.Some of the most famous winners of the award include Larry Page and Sergey Brin , Linus Torvalds , Jerry Yang , Jonathan Ive , Mark Zuckerberg...
) in 2008. YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
videos created for Lee's projects have received almost 10 million views, with the Wii Remote head tracking project being the most highly rated video on YouTube of all time for more than a week in January 2008. He also demonstrated several of these applications at the prestigious TED conference, and has been featured on popular websites such as Slashdot
Slashdot
Slashdot is a technology-related news website owned by Geeknet, Inc. The site, which bills itself as "News for Nerds. Stuff that Matters", features user-submitted and ‑evaluated current affairs news stories about science- and technology-related topics. Each story has a comments section...
, Gizmodo
Gizmodo
Gizmodo is a technology weblog about consumer electronics. It is part of the Gawker Media network run by Nick Denton and is known for its up-to-date coverage of the technology industry, along with topics as broad as design; architecture; space and science....
, hackedgadgets, Popular Science
Popular Science
Popular Science is an American monthly magazine founded in 1872 carrying articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. Popular Science has won over 58 awards, including the ASME awards for its journalistic excellence in both 2003 and 2004...
, Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
Blogs and Engadget
Engadget
Engadget is a multilingual technology blog network with daily coverage of gadgets and consumer electronics. Though on appearance Engadget functions much like a blog and may be defined as such, much of its editorial content takes the form of an online magazine...
several times. Various magazine, newspapers and television programs have featured interviews with Lee as well. Lee has also made invited appearances at events such as Maker Faire
Maker Faire
Maker Faire is an event created by Make magazine to "celebrate arts, crafts, engineering, science projects and the Do-It-Yourself mindset".-Past events:The first was held April 22 – 23, 2006, at the San Mateo Fairgrounds...
.
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
had initially stated that Lee's Wii Remote head tracking technology would appear as an Easter egg
Easter egg (media)
Image:Carl Oswald Rostosky - Zwei Kaninchen und ein Igel 1861.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Example of Easter egg hidden within imagerect 467 383 539 434 desc none...
in the game Boom Blox
Boom Blox
Boom Blox is a puzzle video game for the Wii console, mobile devices and N-Gage 2.0 developed by EA Los Angeles in conjunction with film director Steven Spielberg. The game was released on May 6, 2008, in North America and on May 9, 2008, in Europe...
, but later announced that the feature had been removed.
External links
- YouTube videos
- TED Talks: Johnny Lee demos Wii Remote hacks at TEDTED (conference)TED is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate "ideas worth spreading"....
in 2008 - Johnny Lee's website
- Johnny Lee's blog
- SteadyCam
- Human-Computer Interaction Institute