Microsoft Surface-How it works

How does Microsoft Surface work?

Surface uses cameras to sense objects, hand gestures and touch. This user input is then processed and displayed on the surface using rear projection. Specifically:

• Surface uses a rear projection system which displays an image onto the underside of a thin diffuser which is the table's surface. Infrared light is also projected onto the underside of the diffuser.
• Objects such as fingers are visible through the diffuser by series of infrared–sensitive cameras, positioned underneath the surface of the tabletop.
• An image processing system processes the camera images to detect fingers, custom tags and other objects such as paint brushes when touching the display.
• The objects recognized with this system are reported to applications running in the computer so that they can react to object shapes, 2D bar codes (tags), movement and touch.

 

More on Microsoft Surface

What is Microsoft Surface™? Microsoft Surface turns an ordinary tabletop into a vibrant, interactive surface. The product provides effortless access to digital content through natural gestures, touch and physical objects. Consumers can interact with Surface at select AT&T retail locations and at the iBar located in the Rio All Suite Hotel & Casino. Other Surface deployments will continue in restaurant, retail, leisure and public entertainment venues in the coming weeks and months. What is surface computing? Led by Microsoft, surface computing is a major advancement that moves beyond the traditional user interface to a more natural way of interacting with information. It features four key attributes: Direct Interaction: Users can actually ''grab'' digital information with their hands - interacting with content by touch and gesture, without the use of a mouse or keyboard. Multi–Touch: Surface computing recognizes many points of contact simultaneously, not just from one finger like with a typical touch–screen, but up to dozens of items at once. Multi–User: The horizontal form factor makes it easy for several people to gather around Microsoft Surface together, providing a collaborative, face–to–face computing experience. Object Recognition: Users can place physical objects on the display to trigger different types of digital responses; in the future, this will include the ability to transfer digital content.