Touchscreen Table Reads, Responds to Objects

This touchscreen table can interact with objects placed on its surface such as notebooks and wireless keyboards.

The Pictionaire touchscreen table is one of those devices you just have to see to fully understand what it can really do. The device, developed by Andy Wilson of Microsoft Research and Bjorn Hartmann at the University of California, Berkley, consists of a 1.8-meter surface, a ceiling-mounted high-resolution digital camera, and a projector. What makes this "gadget" so utterly cool is its ability to see and interact with objects placed on the surface.

For instance, when a sketchbook is placed on the table, digital tabs appear in each corner. The user then drags one corner tab over to the side, telling the camera to take a snapshot of the page. Once the sketchbook is removed, the image is then placed on the table where the tab resides. The user can then move the images anywhere on the surface simply by dragging the virtual "sheet" across the surface.

"Contrast this with a tablet PC," Wilson told New Scientist. "I don't care how well made it is – it won't replicate the true feeling of pencil on paper. And designers are very particular about the type of paper they use, the style of pens."

Users will also be able to incorporate wireless keyboards and mice. The table will instantly recognize a keyboard, accept the incoming text, and display associated images or words on the table to better help the brainstorming process. Move the keyboard, and all the associated images move along with it. The system will even access the Internet and locate images based on keywords.

To get an idea what the Pictionaire can do, check out the videos below: