Search
  • Videos
  • Windows 10
  • 5G
  • Best VPNs
  • Cloud
  • Security
  • AI
  • more
    • TR Premium
    • Working from Home
    • Innovation
    • Best Web Hosting
    • ZDNet Recommends
    • Tonya Hall Show
    • Executive Guides
    • ZDNet Academy
    • See All Topics
    • White Papers
    • Downloads
    • Reviews
    • Galleries
    • Videos
    • TechRepublic Forums
  • Newsletters
  • All Writers
    • Preferences
    • Community
    • Newsletters
    • Log Out
  • Menu
    • Videos
    • Windows 10
    • 5G
    • Best VPNs
    • Cloud
    • Security
    • AI
    • TR Premium
    • Working from Home
    • Innovation
    • Best Web Hosting
    • ZDNet Recommends
    • Tonya Hall Show
    • Executive Guides
    • ZDNet Academy
    • See All Topics
    • White Papers
    • Downloads
    • Reviews
    • Galleries
    • Videos
    • TechRepublic Forums
      • Preferences
      • Community
      • Newsletters
      • Log Out
  • us
    • Asia
    • Australia
    • Europe
    • India
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
    • ZDNet around the globe:
    • ZDNet France
    • ZDNet Germany
    • ZDNet Korea
    • ZDNet Japan

Microsoft's OmniTouch turns any surface into a touchscreen (photos)

1 of 9 NEXT PREV
  • 6318135.jpg

    Researchers from Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University have shown off technology that can turn any surface into a touchscreen.

    The OmniTouch is a wearable device that projects a graphical user interface, such as a computer desktop or a virtual keypad, onto any surface, from a table to a hand. Users can interact with these virtual interfaces using their fingers, which are tracked by sensors built into OmniTouch, in the same way they would use a touchscreen.

    The prototype technology is on display at UIST 2012, the Association for Computing Machinery's 24th Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology, that is being held in Santa Barbara, California.

    Nick Heath from silicon.com provides the captions.

    Photo: Microsoft Research/CMU

    Published: October 20, 2011 -- 08:52 GMT (01:52 PDT)

    Caption by: Silicon.com

  • 6318137.jpg

    OmniTouch is designed to be wearable. The prototype is a shoulder-mounted device made up of a laser-based pico projector and a depth-sensing camera, similar to that found in the Microsoft Kinect.

    The OmniTouch uses the depth-sensing camera to build a graphical model of the world which allows it to calculate how far away objects are. The system's software can recognise fingers, and a depth map allows it to determine whether a finger is touching a surface. When a finger touches a surface onto which an interface is projected, users can interact with the screen, clicking buttons or dragging icons, in the same way they would with any other touchscreen.

    Photo: Microsoft Research/CMU

    Published: October 20, 2011 -- 08:52 GMT (01:52 PDT)

    Caption by: Silicon.com

  • 6318138.jpg

    The ability of the system to track finger movements allows it to support a wide range of gestures, such as drawing with fingers, as seen here.

    Photo: Microsoft Research/CMU

    Published: October 20, 2011 -- 08:52 GMT (01:52 PDT)

    Caption by: Silicon.com

  • 6318139.jpg

    The system can be set up to allow users to create touchscreen interfaces on any surface. For example, the system could be configured to recognise a finger being dragged diagonally, as seen here, as a gesture telling it to create a new interface on that surface. The size of the interface would correspond to the distance the finger is dragged.

    Photo: Microsoft Research/CMU

    Published: October 20, 2011 -- 08:52 GMT (01:52 PDT)

    Caption by: Silicon.com

  • 6318140.jpg

    Because the system can trace the movement of fingers on any surface, it can be set up to recognise gestures such as pinch-zooming on a map.

    Microsoft Research Redmond researcher Hrvoje Benko said in a statement: "We wanted the ability to use any surface.

    "Let the user define the area where they want the interface to be, and have the system do its best to track it frame to frame. This creates a highly flexible, on-demand user interface."

    Photo: Microsoft Research/CMU

    Published: October 20, 2011 -- 08:52 GMT (01:52 PDT)

    Caption by: Silicon.com

  • 6318141.jpg

    Another potential use for OmniTouch is tracking the movement of fingers to highlight text in a printed document.

    Photo: Microsoft Research/CMU

    Published: October 20, 2011 -- 08:52 GMT (01:52 PDT)

    Caption by: Silicon.com

  • 6318142.jpg

    In this picture, the user is selecting apps from a menu on his hand which are then run on the interface projected onto the table.

    Photo: Microsoft Research/CMU

    Published: October 20, 2011 -- 08:52 GMT (01:52 PDT)

    Caption by: Silicon.com

  • 6318143.jpg

    Researchers say the wearable shoulder-mounted prototype could be reduced to a matchbox-sized device that could be worn on a watch or a pendant.

    Photo: Microsoft Research/CMU

    Published: October 20, 2011 -- 08:52 GMT (01:52 PDT)

    Caption by: Silicon.com

  • 6318136.jpg

    A shot showing how the system recognises and traces fingers.

    Photo: Microsoft Research/CMU

    Published: October 20, 2011 -- 08:52 GMT (01:52 PDT)

    Caption by: Silicon.com

1 of 9 NEXT PREV
Silicon.com

By Silicon.com | October 20, 2011 -- 08:52 GMT (01:52 PDT) | Topic: Hardware

  • 6318135.jpg
  • 6318137.jpg
  • 6318138.jpg
  • 6318139.jpg
  • 6318140.jpg
  • 6318141.jpg
  • 6318142.jpg
  • 6318143.jpg
  • 6318136.jpg

Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University have shown off technology that can turn any surface into a touchscreen.

Read More Read Less

Researchers from Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University have shown off technology that can turn any surface into a touchscreen.

The OmniTouch is a wearable device that projects a graphical user interface, such as a computer desktop or a virtual keypad, onto any surface, from a table to a hand. Users can interact with these virtual interfaces using their fingers, which are tracked by sensors built into OmniTouch, in the same way they would use a touchscreen.

The prototype technology is on display at UIST 2012, the Association for Computing Machinery's 24th Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology, that is being held in Santa Barbara, California.

Nick Heath from silicon.com provides the captions.

Photo: Microsoft Research/CMU

Published: October 20, 2011 -- 08:52 GMT (01:52 PDT)

Caption by: Silicon.com

1 of 9 NEXT PREV

Related Topics:

Hardware Microsoft PCs Servers Storage Networking
Silicon.com

By Silicon.com | October 20, 2011 -- 08:52 GMT (01:52 PDT) | Topic: Hardware

Show Comments
LOG IN TO COMMENT
  • My Profile
  • Log Out
| Community Guidelines

Join Discussion

Add Your Comment
Add Your Comment

Related Galleries

  • 1 of 3
  • Defective '5,000,000mAh' power bank

    It arrived dead, but in a highly dangerous state and could have burst into flames at any moment.

  • Omnicharge Omni Ultimate

    Everything about the Omni Ultimate is designed around power and ruggedness.

  • '9 million mAh' power bank

    Spoiler: It's nowhere near 9,000,000mAh!

  • Powertraveller Sport 25

    A compact, ruggedized IP67-rated power bank.

  • Dead USB charger

    Can you see what happened here?

  • Dead power bank

    Can you see what happened here?

  • Nitecore 21700 intelligent battery system

    Super-compact power bank for the minimalist.

ZDNet
Connect with us

© 2021 ZDNET, A RED VENTURES COMPANY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Privacy Policy | Cookie Settings | Advertise | Terms of Use

  • Topics
  • Galleries
  • Videos
  • Sponsored Narratives
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About ZDNet
  • Meet The Team
  • All Authors
  • RSS Feeds
  • Site Map
  • Reprint Policy
  • Manage | Log Out
  • Join | Log In
  • Membership
  • Newsletters
  • Site Assistance
  • ZDNet Academy
  • TechRepublic Forums