Coolest Product at CES

The Novint Falcon provides users with realistic physical feedback.  The demo shown at CES included using this controller to "touch" a variety of surfaces.  When moving across a bumpy ball, you could feel the bumps.  Pushing through a glob of molasses felt just like you were putting a stick into the jar.  And trying to touch the center of an ice ball was impossible as you felt yourself slipping all over it.

Of course, the real use for the device is as a gaming controller.  The Novint team used Half Life as the gaming demonstration.  When firing a shotgun, the controller realistically recoils.  Trying to handle the submachine guns requires real concentration as it vibrates wildly.

The physical feedback this device provides is truly realistic.  It isn't the seemingly random vibrations that the XBox 360 controller provides. 

Not exactly a high-productivity device, but probably the coolest product I have seen at CES.

More thoughts on the products I have seen coming in the days ahead.