Interaction Beyond the Keyboard

IEEE Computing Now features an article on interaction beyond the keyboard. In this article Albrecht Schmidt from the University of Stuttgart, Germany and Elizabeth Churchill from Yahoo Research explore possibilities to replace the conventional mouse and keyboard to achieve a more intuitive and versatile way of interacting with computers to explore the world of online communications and information access.

IEEE is working on standards for virtual environments.

Virtual worlds—those electronic 3-D environments where people interact in a somewhat realistic manner—are considered best suited for games and entertainment. But some organizations, including IEEE, see the worlds as a potential business tool for lots of other things, include health care, education, and research.

To enable the more widespread use of virtual environments the IEEE is working on standards for virtual environments to, for example, be able to use an avatar in multiple environments. See the article published recently on The IEEE insitute website.
Currently application of virtual environments in healthcare is limited but starting to gain interest in education and training.