Aurora (Part 1) from Adaptive Path on Vimeo.

Mozilla Labs and Adaptive Path have teamed up on a project to create a concept browser called Aurora, which seeks to define new HCI paradigms that could shape the future of how we use the Internet.

The project is still at an early stage, having produced some excellent are conceptual videos but no functional prototypes yet. The first of four videos focuses upon contextual awareness, and despite bearing some hallmarks of a Minority Report design splurge; a great deal of rational design appears to have gone into the forward-thinking user interface. Future videos will cover other design themes including natural interaction, continuity and multi-user applications – followed by a movie!

I’m excited to see how this project develops and expect the combination of great minds at Mozilla and Adaptive Path to give us ample food for thought. If some of these innovative concepts become second nature to millions people over the next few years then the ideas behind them will seem so simple. I find this is usually the way – the simple ideas are often the biggest.

Do you think any of the innovations in the Aurora project have legs, or is this the browsing experience from hell? Please feel free to hit me with your thoughts.

Thanks to Digg Founder Kevin Rose for Tweeting about Aurora.