Looking to get into multi-touch interactive? Apparently, you’ve got options beyond Microsoft Surface, including building one yourself. That’s what Maximum PC did, assembling a used PC, some infrared LEDs, a PS3 Eye camera and a projector. The cost? $350. You can see a demo below or go to the blog post, which documents the design and construction of the device:
You could also look at TacTable’s Smart Table. No idea if it retails for less or more than Microsoft’s product, but it has been around longer. In the demo video below, which shows how a Smart Table was implemented at Sprint’s Kansas City, Mo., store, you can see that the interactivity is as sophisticated and elegant as anything that’s been done in the Surface realm, if not more so. Besides using one’s fingers to interact with the surface, one can place coasters (called “fiducials”) on the table and then use them as controls. Each fiducial can have its own properties and behaviors. A fiducial that looks like a TV-set dial can actually be turned to change channels on the TV set being shown.
This kind of interactivity opens up all kinds of possibilities. It’s no surprise that a number of TacTable’s installs have been in museums. The richness of the UI demands an equal richness of supporting content — and an environment where visitors have the time and motivaton to explore. But, no doubt over time we’ll start to see multi-touch experiences incorporated into more and more task-intensive retail environments
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