Thursday, May 29, 2008

Blog: A Low-Cost Multitouch Screen

A Low-Cost Multitouch Screen
Technology Review (05/29/08) Greene, Kate

Microsoft recently demonstrated LaserTouch, a new multitouch platform that includes hardware that is inexpensive enough to retrofit any display into a touch screen. Microsoft believes that providing inexpensive hardware will make researchers more inclined to experiment with different form factors and develop multitouch software. LaserTouch uses a camera mounted on top of a computer display, with two infrared lasers with widespread beams at the corners of the display, essentially creating sheets of invisible light. When a finger touches the screen, it breaks the plane of light, which is detected by the camera. LaserTouch can be used on high-resolution displays designed for graphics applications such as photo and video editing, and because LaserTouch can be fitted to any type of display it could also be used for office applications such as presentations. In addition to Microsoft, Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories has developed a touch table for business collaborations, and Perceptive Pixel has a wall-sized touch screen that supports multiple inputs. Meanwhile, an open source touch-screen table is available to the public that allows individuals to assemble their own touch-screen tables.
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