Microsoft Surface

We have seen it in numerous sci-fi movies, now the future of touch computing is here. Microsoft Surface or Milan is a multi-touch computing system created by Microsoft which is a combination of software and hardware technology that allows a user, or multiple users, to manipulate digital content by using natural motions, hand gestures, or even moving or placing physical objects on it.

Microsoft Surface uses a unique platform called surface computing that responds to natural hand gestures and real world objects. It has a 30-inch reflective 360-degree surface with a XGA DLP projector underneath it which projects an image onto its underside, while four cameras in the machine’s housing record reflections of infrared light from objects and human fingertips on the surface. The surface can recognize objects, object/finger orientation and tracking. Users can interact with the machine by placing & moving objects on it or by touching or dragging their fingertips or objects such as paintbrushes across the screen as part of Natural User Interface (NUI).

Surface can respond to 52 touches at a time. All the 10 fingers can be used at the same time to make patterns that is different for each finger. It has specially-designed barcode-style “Surface tags” on objects. A commercial Microsoft Surface unit is approx. $12,500, whereas a developer Microsoft Surface unit costs $15,000 which comes with a developer unit, five seats and support.

Microsoft has recently announced the development of the second generation Microsoft Surface (code named Second Light). It will be build on the original model and will have a second projector inside the table computer that can project images onto a layer above the surface of the screen. The device will also be able to overlay secondary images above those on the screen – such as satellite imagery over a street map, or more detailed contextual data on top of images. The machine will also have infrared sensors that can interpret gestures and movements without having to touch the screen. However, there is still time till we see the light of Second Light.