Speculate on the future of the gestural interface. Will it become commonplace? Is it “better” than our current touch-based interfaces such as keyboards/mice or even touchscreens?

Gestural interface is not the future. It is part of it. Humans are constantly in need of touch based interactions. When Microsoft launched the Kinect for Xbox, it sought to resolve the need for a controller. It used a camera to scan the entire room and allowed the player to be the controller. Combining speech and gestural interfacing, it created an effective start, yet did not fully deliver. It felt lacking, leaving out a controller made the player feel a sense of helplessness. Minority Report helped to embrace this challenge with the use of the gloves and computers showcasing a bridge between the two.

Gesture-recognition technology is now available (see Leap, MYO, Kinect). Should these technologies be integrated into everyday computing? Should your laptop “see” your gestures? Would you want such an interface?

Personally, I would not desire a laptop which would use the gesture recognition software. However, if it were a different device, it would be enticing. Laptops are a set device, having a standard form of interfacing. When a tablet computer was introduced, it provided a new way of interacting with a previously determined format. A new device, such as the computers in Minority Report, utilizing the gloves interactively would be an interesting take on computing. However, as seen in the movie, when there is an over-recognition, such as the eye readers, people are hesitant in using new services.

What makes gestural computing attractive in a film environment (new examples include the Iron Man series of films)? How does a gestural interface differ from a keyboard/mouse interface within a cinematic context? Why would Spielberg have chosen what he did for Minority Report?
Just as on stage, actors have a need to overact. In film, the overacting is less noticeable than on a stage. The reason is because the camera is able to provide a close-up of the actors so using a mouse would not be an effective means of communicating the idea of interfacing with a computer. Using physical gestures, the actor is able to relay information to the viewer. Minority Report is a highly physical film. Spielberg would have chosen this form of gestural interface to convey movement. It also shows what he may invision as a possible future in computing.