[Microsoft Watch] Among the new research projects the company will highlight in its employee-only research showcase is a new foot-powered user interface, known as StepUI. By using an off-the-shelf dance pad, users can navigate their e-mail and online photos by stepping (or stomping) on different areas of the mat. Or Bluetooth devices attached to a foot or shoe also could activate the new interface.

I saw this today at TechFest. Ehem.

My first thought was "I still can’t get a common control for the Office Ribbon, yet we’re investing who-knows-how-much on researching the ‘dance fever’ UI". My second thought was… well, I’m not going to repeat it.

I’m certainly not trying to dis the any of the researchers involved in the project, it just sometimes baffles me what we spend money on.

Update: Kevin Schofield has more on StepUI. Personally, I’d still rather have a common color-picker control (not the common dialog, a button with a drop color palette) before having to do the Macarena just to sort email and RSS entries.