The 10 most iconic user interfaces in movie history

06. The Avengers Assemble

While the muscle men fought the bad guys, the backroom boys and girls used a variety of stylish technologies to keep the show on the road

While the muscle men fought the bad guys, the backroom boys and girls used a variety of stylish technologies to keep the show on the road

2012's big superhero movie focused more on its muscle-bound personalities than fancy tech. But there was still a lot of cool glass-screen input technology flickering away in the background, making sure everything ran smoothly as the super friends strutted their stuff.

07. Avatar

Avatar took the idea of virtual reality to a whole new level

Avatar took the idea of virtual reality to a whole new level

One of the biggest blockbusters to come out of Hollywood, grossing over $2 billion, Avatar brought virtual reality technologies to possibly their ultimate conclusion, where one man can control another (alien) body using the power of the mind. Touchscreen and gesture technologies were front and centre throughout, portraying an exciting – if somewhat dark and depressing – future for user interface technology.

08. Quantum of Solace

Bond wouldn't be Bond without cool tech

Bond wouldn't be Bond without cool tech

James Bond wouldn’t be anywhere without his gadgets, so it was only right that the secret service turned their meeting room table into a touchscreen computer. Like Microsoft PixelSense but cooler.

09. The Hunger Games

In the Hunger Games, an entire terrain was controlled by computer

In the Hunger Games, an entire terrain was controlled by computer

Getting bigger and better every year, the 2012 Hunger Games took futuristic technology to another level with an entire terrain connected and controlled by a main computer. Gesture and touchscreen technologies were promoted heavily, with 3D projections similar to those seen in Avatar.

10. Prometheus

Prometheus looked into the future with its interface design

Prometheus looked into the future with its interface design

Reviews were mixed on Prometheus, but it's safe to say the blockbuster's futuristic interface technologies – implemented within robots, spaceships and even alien architecture – were stunning. Rather than an overly 'sciencey' feel, the team at Territory took influences from coral reefs and abstract art to give an organic feel to their interface designs.

Making dreams a reality

Although some of the technologies we've witnessed in Hollywood’s interpretations of the future are far-fetched, a lot of the tech seen in these movies is already being utilised by businesses and companies around the world.

AnderDX is one of the companies that can make this a reality. Providing projected capacitive (P-cap) and optical IR multitouch components and monitors, award-winning multitouch software, embedded multitouch displays and miniature fanless, low-energy computers, we can enable multitouch on your devices, and help you differentiate your products and stand out from the crowd.

We'll leave you with a few more examples of exciting input technologies to get you excited...

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Anders DX is a user interface technology specialist, dedicated to optimising the user experience of non-consumer devices.