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INTRODUCTION
Microsoft Surface is a forthcoming Multi-touch product from Microsoft which is developed as
software and hardware combination technology.
Minority Report meets the kitchen table in the new Surface from Microsoft. Claiming that
surface computing is "as significant as the move from DOS to GUI," the company today
announced a tabletop device with an integrated 30-inch screen and five cameras to enable multi-
touch access to music, photos, the web, and more. According to Microsoft, Surface isn't simply a
regular PC with a touch interface.
It is a whole new category of computing device that will supplement rather than replace
traditional machines. Surface is essentially a Windows Vista PC tucked inside a table, topped
with a 30-inch reflective surface in a clear acrylic frame.
Surface features a touch interface, but it doesn't use a touch screen. Instead, five separate
cameras are used to record motion on the table's surface.On speaking with Nigel Keam, a
member of the Surface team, about the technology in the device, and he explained that five
cameras were needed because of field angle issues. In order to get the table as low as it is, five
Cameras are used so that each one can have a small field of view. That translates into better
resolution and speed (measured in pixels/second) than a single camera with an exceptionally
wide-angle view of the table surface.
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Direct interaction refers to the user's ability to simply reach out and touch the interface of an
application in order to interact with it, without the need for a mouse or keyboard. Multi-touch
contact refers to the ability to have multiple contact points with an interface, unlike with a
mouse, where there is only one cursor. Multi-user is a benefit of multi-touch—several people can
orient themselves on different sides of the surface to interact with an application simultaneously
A unique feature that comes preinstalled with Surface is the pond effect "Attract" application.
Simply, it is a "picture" of water with leaves and rocks within it (a lot like a screen saver used in
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Windows XP or Vista). By touching the screen, users can create ripples in the water, much like a
real stream
OVERVIEW
Surface is essentially a Windows Vista PC tucked inside a table, topped with a 30-inch reflective
surface in a clear acrylic frame. A projector underneath the surface projects an image onto its
underside, while five cameras in the machine's housing record reflections of infrared light from
human fingertips. The camera can also recognize objects placed on the surface if those objects
have specially-designed "tags" applied to them. Users can interact with the machine by touching
or dragging their fingertips and objects such as paintbrushes across the screen, or by placing and
moving tagged objects.
Surface has been optimized to respond to 52 touches at a time.
Microsoft Surface is a 30-inch display in a table-like form factor that’s easy for individuals or
small groups to interact with in a way that feels familiar, just like in the real world. Microsoft
Surface can simultaneously recognize dozens and dozens of movements such as touch and
gestures and can recognize unique objects that have identification tags (similar to bar codes).
Surface computing breaks down traditional barriers between people and technology, changing
the way people interact with all kinds of everyday content, from photos to maps to menus. The
intuitive user interface works without a traditional mouse or keyboard, allowing people to
interact with content and information by using their hands and natural movements. Users are able
to access information either on their own or collaboratively with their friends and families,
unlike any experience available today. Surface computing features four key attributes:
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HISTORY OF MICROSOFT SURFACE
The technology behind Surface is called Multi-touch. It has at least a 25-year history, beginning
in 1982, with pioneering work being done at the University of Toronto (multi-touch tablets) and
Bell Labs (multi-touch screens).
The product idea for Surface was initially conceptualized in 2001 by Steven Bathiche of
Microsoft Hardware and Andy Wilson of Microsoft Research. In October 2001, a virtual team
was formed with Bathiche and Wilson as key members, to bring the idea to the next stage of
development.
In 2003, the team presented the idea to the Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, in a group review.
Later, the virtual team was expanded and a prototype nicknamed T1 was produced within a
month. The prototype was based on an IKEA table with a hole cut in the top and a sheet of
architect vellum used as a diffuser. The team also developed some applications, including
pinball, a photo browser and a video puzzle. Over the next year, Microsoft built more than 85
early prototypes for Surface. The final hardware design was completed in 2005.
A similar concept was used in the 2002 science fiction movie Minority Report and in the 2005
science fiction movie The Island, by Sean Bean's character "Merrick". As noted in the DVD
commentary, the director Michael Bay stated the concept of the device came from consultation
with Microsoft during the making of the movie. One of the film's technology consultant's
associates from MIT later joined Microsoft to work on the Surface project.
Surface was unveiled by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on May 30, 2007 at The Wall Street
Journal's 'D: All Things Digital' conference in Carlsbad, California.
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Surface Computing is part of Microsoft's Productivity and Extended Consumer Experiences
Group, which is within the Entertainment & Devices division. The first few companies to deploy
Surface will include Harrah's Entertainment, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, T-Mobile
and a distributor, International Game Technology FEATURES.
SOME IMPORATANT CONCEPTS AND TERMS :
(1.) Multi- touch technique :
Multi-touch is a method of input on a touchscreen that allows two or more fingers to
be used on the screen at one time.Multi-touch is something typically associated with
capacitive touchscreen displays rather than with more common resistive touchscreen
displays.
On touchscreen displays, multi-touch refers to the ability to simultaneously register
three or more distinct positions of input touches. It is often used to describe other,
more limited implementations, like Gesture-Enhanced Single-Touch, Dual-Touch or
real Multi-Touch
(2.) Capacitive touchscreen:
Capacitive touchscreen displays rely on the electrical properties of the human body to
detect when and where on a display the user touching. Because of this, capacitive
displays can be controlled with very light touches of a finger and generally cannot be
used with a mechanical stylus or a gloved hand. Examples of devices with capacitive
touchscreens are the Apple iPhone and the T-Mobile G1
(3.) Resistive touchscreen:
Resistive touchscreen displays are composed of multiple layers that are separated by
thin spaces. Pressure applied to the surface of the display by a finger or stylus causes
the layers to touch, which completes electrical circuits and tells the device where the
user is touching. As such, resistive type touchscreens require much more pressure to
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activate than capacitive touchscreens. Examples of devices with resistive
touchscreens are the HTC Touch Diamond and the Samsung SGH-i900 Omnia
(4.) TAG :
The Microsoft Surface Vision System captures and processes raw images of a
Microsoft Surface screen and can "see" the actual outlines of physical objects that are
placed on the screen by using cameras that operate in the near infrared light
(specifically, 850 nm). The Microsoft Surface Vision System also recognizes special
tagged objects that are marked with a special pattern of dots called tags. A tag
consists of a geometric arrangement of infrared reflective and absorbing areas.
Tagged objects give your application several advantages over processing raw images:
Tagged objects are more computation-efficient. The tags are small and well-defined,
so specialized code in the Vision System can locate and track them quickly,
accurately, and efficiently.
The Microsoft Surface platform inherently recognizes tags, so it is easy to write an
application that uses tags. Each tag stores a distinct binary code value, so an
application can distinguish one object from another.
DOTTED PATTERN FOR IMAGE RECOGNITION
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Single-Touch Technique
Mobile phones may use two types of input devices.
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In regular mobile phones, a keypad type of device is used, which is mounted separately
from the screen of the cellphone.
Whereas in touchscreen cellphones, a touch screen is a cellphone display screen that
also acts as an input device.
The touchscreens are sensitive to pressure; a user interacts with the mobile applications by
touching pictures or words on the screen. Most mobile phone keyboards are basic in that
they use a tactile surface you are accustomed to touching, and underneath is a basic rubber
peg (black dot) which travels some depth until it encounters resistance in the form of the
actual keyboard surface which is sometimes called a ‘bubble board.’ This is basically a
semi-circle of aluminium shaped in the form of a dome and provides that springing
effect of key and feedback on your finger when you press down and the button regains its
at-rest shape and normal position. Touchscreen technologies used in mobile phones include
resistive, capacitive and surface-wave based system.
(1.)RESISTIVE:-
The resistive system consists of a normal glass panel that is covered with conductive and
resistive metallic layers. These two layers are held apart by spacers, and a scratch resistant
layer is placed on top of the whole setup. An electrical current runs through the two layers
while the monitor is operational. When a user touches the screen, the two layers make contact
exactly at that spot. The change in the electrical feld is noted and the coordinates of the
point of contact are calculated by the processor. Once the coordinates are known, a special
driver translates the touch into something that the operating system can understand, much as a
computer mouse driver translates the movements of a mouse into a click or a drag. The change
in the electrical current is registered as a touch event and sent to the controller for
processing.Resistive touchscreen panels are generally more affordable but offer only 75 per
cent clarity and the layer can be damaged by sharp objects. Resistive touchscreen panels are
not affected by outside elements such as dust or water.
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(2.) CAPACITIVE:-
In the capacitive system, a layer of an electroconductive material (most often indium tin-
oxide) that stores electrical charge is placed on the glass panel of the monitor. When a user
touches the monitor with his finger, some of the charge is transferred to the user, so the charge
on the capacitive layer decreases. This decrease is measured in circuits located at each
corner of the monitor. The computer calculates, from the relative differences in charge at each
corner, exactly where the touch event took place and then relays that information to the
touch-screen driver software. One advantage of the capacitive system over the resistive
system is that it transmits almost 92 per cent of the light emitted from the monitor, whereas
the resistive system transmits only about 75 per cent. This gives the capacitive system a much
clearer picture than the resistive system. Also, the capacitive system has a very long life
(about 225 million clicks). The bad news is that this touchscreen type cannot be activated by
contact with inanimate objects (e.g., the gloves that you might be wearing). There are mainly
two subtypes: one cannot register more than one touch at a time, while the other, called
‘MultiTouch’ (used in Apple iPhone and iPod) does.
(3.) SURFACE WAVE:-
Surface-wave technology uses ultrasonic waves that pass over the touchscreen panel. On the
monitor of a surface acoustic wave system, two transducers (one sending and the other receiving)
are placed along the ‘x’ and ‘y’ axes of the monitor’s glass plate. Also placed on the glass
are refectors- these refect an electrical signal sent from one transducer to the other. The
receiving transducer is able to tell whether the wave has been disturbed by a touch event at any
instant, and can locate it accordingly. When the panel is touched, a portion of the wave is
absorbed. This change in the ultrasonic waves registers the position of the touch event and sends
this information to the controller for processing. The wave setup has no metallic layers on the
screen, allowing for 100 per cent light throughput and perfect image clarity. This makes the
surface acoustic wave system best for displaying detailed graphics (both the other systems
have signifcant degradation in clarity). Surface-wave touchscreen panels are the most
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advanced of the three types, but these can be damaged by outside elements. Another area in
which the systems differ is the way stimuli is registered as a touch event. A resistive
system registers a touch as long as the two layers make contact, which means that it doesn’t
matter if you touch it with your fnger or a rubber ball. A capacitive system, on the other
hand, must have a conductive input, usually your fnger, in order to register a touch. The surface
acoustic wave system works much like the resistive system, allowing a touch with almost any
object, except hard and small objects like a pen tip.
MULTI –TOUCH TECHNIQUE
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SURFACE COMPUTER
Microsoft notes four main components being important in Surface's interface:-
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direct interaction,
multi-touch contact,
a multi-user experience, and
object recognition.
(1.) DIRECT INTERACTION:
It refers to the user's ability to simply reach out and touch the interface of an application
in order to interact with it, without the need for a mouse or keyboard or in other words it
Gives an advantage to the user to have simple touch application instead of using a
mouse or to in interact with
(2.) MULTI- TOUCH CONTACT :
It refers to the ability to have multiple contact points with an interface, unlike with a
mouse, where there is only one cursor. Multi-user is a benefit of multi-touch -- several
people can orient themselves on different sides of the surface to interact with an
application simultaneously.
52 touches can be made at one time. It has multiple contact points with an interface,
however in mouse there will be only one option of having a single cursor.
(3.) MULTIPLE USER EXPERIENCE:
It allows multiple users to interact with the system from different points and
simultaneously use a single application
(4.) OBJECT RECOGNITION:
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It refers to the device's ability to recognize the presence and orientation of tagged objects
placed on top of it. It allows non-digital objects to be used with the touch interface. The
computer vision is created with a LED light source of 850 nm length.
MICROSOFT SURFACE
Microsoft Surface 1.0
During a demonstration with a reporter, Mark Bolger, the Surface Computing group's marketing
director, "dipped" his finger in an on-screen paint palette, then dragged it across the screen to
draw a smiley face. Then he used all 10 fingers at once to give the face a full head of hair.
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In addition to recognizing finger movements, Microsoft Surface can also identify physical
objects. Microsoft says that when a diner sets down a wine glass, for example, the table can
automatically offer additional wine choices tailored to the dinner being eaten.
Prices will reportedly be $5,000 to $10,000 per unit. However Microsoft said it expects prices to
drop enough to make consumer versions feasible in 3 to 5 years.
Partner companies plan to use the Surface in their hotels, restaurants, and retail stores. The
Surface is to be used to choose meals at restaurants, plan vacations and spots to visit from the
hotel room. Starwood Hotels plan to allow users to drop a credit card on the table to pay for
music, books, and other amenities offered at the resort. In T-Mobile stores, the plans for the
Surface include dropping two different phones on the table and having the customer is able to
view and compare prices, features, and plans.
The machines, which Microsoft debuted May 30, 2007 at a technology conference in Carlsbad,
California, were set to arrive in November 2007 in T-Mobile USA stores and properties owned
by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. and Harrah's Entertainment Inc. But with delays
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in developing custom applications for each of the partners, it will take until spring 2008 before
the machines start showing up at these locations.
SPECIFICATIONS :
Surface is a :-
30-inch (76 cm) display in a table-like form factor, 22 inches (56 cm) high, 21 inches (53
cm) deep, and 42 inches (107 cm) wide.
The Surface tabletop is acrylic, and its interior frame is powder-coated steel.
The software platform runs on Windows Vista and has wired Ethernet 10/100, wireless
802.11 b/g, and Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity.
How the Microsoft Surface works?
1) Screen –
There is a diffuser which turns the Surface’s acrylic tabletop into a large horizontal “multitouch”
screen, which is capable of processing multiple inputs from multiple users. The Surface is so far
advanced than we could imagine that it can recognize objects by their shapes or by reading coded
“domino” tags when placed on the table.
2) Infrared –
Surface’s “machine vision” operates in the near-infrared spectrum, using an 850-nanometer-
wavelength LED light source aimed at the screen. When objects touch the tabletop, the light
reflects back and is picked up by multiple infrared cameras with a net resolution of 1280 x 960.
3) CPU –
Surface uses many of the same components found in everyday desktop computers a Core 2 Duo
processor, 2GB of RAM and a 256MB graphics card. Wireless communication with devices on
the surface is handled using WiFi and Bluetooth antennas (future versions may incorporate RFID
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or Near Field Communications). The underlying operating system is a modified version of
Microsoft Vista.
4) Projector –
Microsoft’s Surface uses the same DLP light engine found in many rear-projection HDTV’s. The
footprint of the visible light screen, at 1024 x 768 pixels, is actually smaller than the invisible
overlapping infrared projection to allow for better recognition at the edges of the screen.
Physical Features of a Microsoft Surface Unit
A Microsoft Surface unit is a table-like form that is easy for users to interact with from any side.
This topic describes the physical features of a Microsoft Surface unit. Microsoft Surface units
with the black acrylic panels have the following dimensions.
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Microsoft's technology
(1.) Depends on cameras and projectors for its magic. This isn't a touch-screen technology, but
an optical one. That has some huge advantages, like the ability to use brushes to paint, but also
has some disadvantages, like the need for dim lighting to avoid washing out the screen and the
need to put bar codes on objects for the system to recognize them.
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(2.) Focuses on large interactions instead of small. Despite claims Microsoft has been shopping
this technology to Windows Mobile phone makers, this technology is clearly designed to work
primarily in large kiosk-like settings than mobile phones. You need large empty spaces for
optical projectors and cameras -- that's why you can't hang projection TVs on your wall like you
can a plasma or LCD display. There's no room in a mobile phone for the optics needed to
implement this type of surface system there -- and using a multi-touch enabled touch-screen
would undoubtedly run afoul of Apple's patents on that technology.
(3.) Doesn't fit in the PC ecosystem. Even if consumers were OK with the many-cubic-foot bulk
of these surface systems, Microsoft says in its press release that it will distribute this technology
largely through a distribution and development agreement with International Game Technology.
That means you're much more likely to see this technology in your next video poker machine at
the Venetian casino than you are in the PC you get from Best Buy.
So surface computing isn't the iPhone or a PC technology. Does that matter? After all, Apple
isn't doing anything with multi-touch for computers, is it?
Well wait a few weeks and you may be surprised at how much Apple is doing with multi-touch.
We've already seen small applications of multi-touch on Apple MacBooks and MacBook Pros,
where two-finger scrolling has become the norm. But as we've noted before, multi-touch gestures
combined with a new 3D finder have the potential to revolutionize the PC user interface -- and
we believe that that interface will be part of Apple's next OS Leopard. And given that Apple has
recently cut its display prices to reduce inventory and has several multi-touch gesture and flat
touchscreen patents already filed, we may see touchscreen-supporting flat-panel displays and
notebooks introduced along with Leopard too.
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APPLICATION :-
There are a wide range of applications available for Microsoft Surface 1.0. It includes
MICROSOFT SURFACE MUSIC:
It allows you to add your music files and albums from your CDs or from any other digital media
and it can be browsed and played.
MICROSOFT SURFACE PHOTO :-
Portable devices can be interfaced with Microsoft Surface to share photos and videos.it enable
the users to browse and control the images by interacting with the surface.
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MICROSOFT SURFACE CONCIERGE :-
It is like a map capsule. Company can indicate their locations and attractive view of their
establishments.
MICROSOFT SURFACE WATER :-
It is like a screensaver application and it attract viewers to touch the surface and will respond to
it by showing ripple effects and it resembles the effect of natural water and the pond effect.
STIMULANT TOUCH TONES :-
It allows four people to create a music on the interactive surface of Microsoft Surface. Both
sound and visuals can be integrated to compose the music of any type.
MICROSOFT SURFACE GAMEPACKS :-
Several games can be played with our hand including chess and a new ribbon game.
Journalists can find still images and broadcast-quality broll and video (registration
required) of Microsoft Surface.
With Surface, we are creating more intuitive ways for people to interact with technology,
Ballmer said. We see this as a multibillion dollar category, and we envision a time when
surface computing technologies will be pervasive, from tabletops and counters to the
hallway mirror. Surface is the first step in realizing that vision. Microsoft Surface
Applications T-Mobile USA. Customers in T-Mobile retail stores might place different
cell phones on Surfaceâ„¢s interactive surface where product features, prices and phone
plans would appear so they could be easily compared. We are continuously working to
build the greatest retail experience we can for our customers, said Bonita Inza, vice
president of Retail at T-Mobile USA. They tell us they want more information about our
products and services, but in a way that is easily accessible, at their own pace and with
the amount of detail that they prefer. Surface is one example of how weâ„¢re turning our
stores into a playground where customers can comfortably explore exciting new products
in their own personal way.
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Surface will also be made available through a distribution and development agreement
with IGT (International Game Technology NYSE: IGT), a global company specializing
in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and sales of computerized
gaming machines and systems products.
There are hundreds of thousands of restaurants, hotels and retail locations that are
looking to give their customers the unique and memorable experiences that Surface will
provide. In turn, companies have a new opportunity for generating additional revenue
streams and increasing retail traffic.
Microsoft Surface 2.0
The Microsoft Surface platform brings people together to connect, learn, and decide. It enables experiences that change the way people collaborate and connect with a 360-degree interface. And, with PixelSense™, Microsoft Surface sees and responds to touch and real world objects—supporting more than 50 simultaneous inputs. This experience comes to life in the new 40 inch Samsung SUR40 for Microsoft Surface that can be used as a table, on the wall, or embedded in other fixtures or furniture.
The Possibilities
How can you use the Surface platform in your organization? The only limit is your imagination. Whether you're in hospitality, retail, healthcare, professional services, or the public sector, you can change the way people interact with information and with each other.
Make content more engaging. Give your customers immersive and collaborative ways to engage with photos, videos, documents, maps, custom applications, and more.
Plan and simulate- Bring to life real-time "if/then" modeling and visualization, simulations and calculations—perfect for financial services, healthcare, and other consultative environments.
Make learning more fun- Breathe new life into the education process with rich visualizations that encourage teamwork and enhance learning.
Transform the shopping experience- Make shopping more immersive by connecting customers with more options, recommendations, product and service comparisons, and personalized service.
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Connect with customers through games and pastimes- Have some fun by putting Surface in restaurants, bars, hotel lobbies, and other venues, associating memorable experiences with your brand.
Communicate and connect- Give people an efficient and intriguing new way to get the information they're looking for—like maps and tourist destinations in a hotel lobby. Or use it to help them exchange personal information so they can connect with each other and to your business.
How the Surface has changed?
From a slimmer form factor to new administrator tools, Surface features some exciting changes:
Slim device- The new hardware is 4 inches thin.
A richer visual experience- With the rich color saturation from a full HD display and a larger screen, Surface offers a compelling, immersive visual experience that draws people in.
A vision-based touch experience- With PixelSense™, Microsoft Surface sees and responds to touch and real world objects.
Touch-enabled from start to finish- With Windows 7 and Surface, there is no need for a keyboard and mouse for setup and configuration.
New Quick Controls- Venue staff can adjust basic settings like volume, brightness, and input source.
More customization options- An improved configuration utility means you can quickly make changes to background images, configure applications, and modify settings without getting into code.
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Easier remote administration- Windows PowerShell scripts are easy to use and create, so Surface can be deployed in an enterprise setting.
Streamlined development for touch- The Microsoft Surface platform makes development easier with applications for Windows 7 that run on Windows Touch devices and with enhanced capabilities on the Samsung SUR40 for Microsoft Surface.
Surface platform
The Surface software platform is ideal for any scenario in which users need to interact together on a single device. The focus of Surface is on creating real connections—whether it’s connecting customers with information and each other, or connecting the device to other devices. Surface supports Windows 7 Professional (32-bit and 64-bit), so you can use a Windows 7 touch computer for basic testing or the creation of touch applications. And with more administration tools in the new Surface platform, deploying and managing Surface in an organization is easier than ever. The new Surface platform software and SDK (software development kit) build upon:
Embedded Windows 7 Professional 64-bit .NET Framework 4.0 Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) 4.0 Microsoft XNA® Framework 4.0 Windows PowerShell and DMTF DASH support, and enhanced administrator tools.
Applications
There are a wide range of applications available for Microsoft Surface 2.0. It includes
AFTER-MOUSE : Featured at Atlantis hotels, Photos enables guests to view their photos, modify them on the Microsoft Surface unit, send them to friends by email or download them directly to their Facebook accounts.
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Aspect Software Inc.: The Voyages of Columbus This multitouch, multiuser application is composed of four different applications, including a factual exploration game, fun facts and images of the historical figures Columbus encountered, constellation tracing, and journal entries from the ship captain. Users can write messages from the captain’s desk and email them to friends.
Customer Solutions Group LLC: Digital Folio Consumers can find the best product at the best price by organizing their shopping experiences. Not only can retailers motivate and influence buying decisions, they can make information accessible at home, on a mobile phone, or in the store.
IntuiLab: IntuiFace Presentation Create high impact, rich media multitouch presentations for Windows touchscreen devices - from tablets and kiosks to the Samsung SUR40 for Microsoft Surface. Use your own images, videos, documents, Flash movies, etc. without any programming required.
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LieberLieber Software: GmbH POI Explorer This interactive Bing map allows users to find and present points of interest in an intuitive and visually attractive way. The application integrates multitouch, object recognition, QR Code, and Microsoft Tag features.
Touchtech AB: Tourist Guide This automated recommendation system for open-minded tourists offers a unique city experience by suggesting activities, sites they can visit, and restaurants based on their personal preferences and situations. Featuring a 360-degree user interface, object recognition, and horizontal and vertical positioning, the Touchtech Tourist Guide has been installed by Göteborg& Co.
T-Systems Multimedia Solutions: Red Bull Interactive Consumers will be able to interact with Red Bull products and multimedia content at the same time. With object recognition, guests place their cans of Red Bull on Surface, which will trigger Red Bull event videos and current news to be presented on screen.
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The Power of pixel sense
PixelSense allows a display to recognize fingers, hands, and objects placed on the screen, enabling vision-based interaction without the use of cameras. The individual pixels in the display see what's touching the screen and that information is immediately processed and interpreted.
Think of it like the connection between the eye and the brain. You need both, working together, to see. In this case, the eye is the sensor in the panel, it picks up the image and it feeds that to the brain which is our vision input processor that recognizes the image and does something with it. Taken in whole…this is PixelSense technology.
How Does PixelSense Work?
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A step-by-step look at how Pixel Sense works:
A contact (finger/blob/tag/object) is placed on the display IR back light unit provides light (though the optical sheets, LCD and protection glass)
that hits the contact. Light reflected back from the contact is seen by the integrated sensors Sensors convert the light signal into an electrical signal/value Values reported from all of the sensors are used to create a picture of what is on the
display The picture is analyzed using image processing techniques The output is sent to the PC. It includes the corrected sensor image and various contact
types (fingers/blobs/tags)
SDK
A software development kit (SDK or "devkit") is typically a set of software development tools that allows for the creation of applications for a certain software package, software framework, hardware platform, computer system, video game console, operating system, or similar platform.
Gorilla glass
Gorilla Glass, manufactured by Corning, is an alkali-aluminosilicate sheet glass engineered specifically to be thin, light and damage-resistant. Its primary application is portable electronic devices with screens, such as mobile phones, portable media players, and laptop displays.
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ADVANTAGES:
(1.) Multi-user, not just multi-touch. You can see the direction that hands are coming from,
even when they aren't touching the table. This lets clever software identify people, so
that you could have UI pop up to face that person. Different people can do different
things with multiple focal points and varying UI orientations.
(2.) Multi-Touch Object Recognization Multi-User Direct Interaction Designing made easier
Time saving by eliminating many processes New and improved learning experience.
(3.) Cons camera calibration gives high precision security and privacy.
(4.) Identification of non-capacitive objects. For example, imagine a car customization app.
The idea being that you'd sit with a salesperson and work through options together. Place
a key on the table and a 3D model of the car that matched that key would drive onto the
scene and then park next to the key. Hopefully someone can figure out a form factor and
price point that can capitalize on these advantages.
(5.) Direct Interaction: Users can actually “grab” digital information with their hands and
interact with content by touch and gestures, without the use of a mouse or keyboard.
(6.) Multi-Touch Contact: Surface computing recognizes many points of contact
simultaneously, not just from one finger, as with a typical touch screen computer, but up
to dozens and dozens of items at once.
(7.) Mulit-User Experience: the horizontal form factor makes it easy for several people to
gather around surface computers together, providing a collaborative, face-to-face
computing experience
(8.) Object-Recognition: Users can place physical objects on the surface to trigger different
types of digital responses, including the transfer of digital content.
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DISADVANTAGES:
(1.)The components used to build a Microsoft surface are very costly.
(2.)The components are very sensitive.
(3.)A Microsoft surface require s a lot of maintenance.
(4.)A Microsoft surface need dim light to avoid the washin out of the screen. It need to put
bar codes on the objects for the system to recognize them.
(5.) It needs large spaces for optical projectors and cameras.
FUTURE SCOPE OF MICROSOFT SURFACE
Microsoft Surface is the first commercially available surface computing platform from Microsoft
Corporation. It turns an ordinary tabletop into a vibrant, interactive surface. The product provides
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effortless interaction with digital content through natural gestures, touch and physical objects. In
essence, it’s a surface that comes to life for exploring, learning, sharing, creating, buying and
much more. In restaurants, hotels, retail and public entertainment venues, this experience will
transform the way people shop, dine, entertain and live.
Microsoft also provides a portfolio of basic Microsoft Surface applications, including Concierge,
Photos, and Music. You can customize these applications to provide customers with unique
experiences.
With Microsoft Surface, you can develop applications that
Respond to touch and gestures.
Respond to multiple touches so that several people can work and play at the same time.
Respond to object blobs. For example, users can use a paintbrush in a drawing
application.
Recognize objects and initiate an action based on tags (tagged objects). For example,
users can use a domino-like tag (with small white circles on a black background) on an
object start an action, draw a shape, and so on.
Have 360-degree user interfaces. For example, four people can sit around the Microsoft
Surface unit and have the content appear correctly for everybody.
The Microsoft Surface PC which would be a real revolution in the computers industry
because you would be able to not only run some commands but activate different
functions plysically like making bills payments using your physical hands instead of
using keyboard & mouse for inputing your requests.
Microsoft's tabletop computer could appear in homes in three years or less,
the executive in charge of its development said this in the year 2011.
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CONCLUSION
Microsoft Surface is a surface computing product from Microsoft. It’s able to recognize physical
objects from a paintbrush to a cell phone and allows hands-on, direct control of content such as
photos, music and maps. Surface turns an ordinary tabletop into a dynamic surface that provides
interaction with all forms of digital content through natural gestures, touch and physical objects.
The product is aimed at hotels, retail establishments, restaurants and public entertainment
venues.
It breaks down the traditional barriers between people and technology, providing effortless
interaction with digital content. Similar to the way ATMs changed how people got money from
the bank, Microsoft is changing the way people will interact with all kinds of everyday content,
including photos, music, a virtual concierge and games. Common, everyday tasks become
entertaining, enjoyable and engaging, alone or face-to-face with family, friends or co-workers.
REFERENCES :
www.google.com
www.wikipedia.com
www.microsoft.com
www.authorstream.com
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