DIY Multitouch Surface Computer
We’ve all seen the Microsoft Surface video out there showing off the latest Microsoft technology. But what do you do if you just can’t wait for the slow wheels at Microsoft to turn on out? Simple! You build your own!
This is exactly what the good people at MaximumPC did. This is what their end results look like:
This was no small project but the end results are impressive. In the article, they cover a number of different aspects such as the theory of building such a table, configuring the LED array to detect when the screen is touched, configuring a Playstation camera to work with a PC, computer and projector selection and installation, and software used to make the whole thing run.
What really caught my attention was the list of open source software that was used to bring the whole project together:
I have to admit. I am very tempted to try this one out myself. But, the same old problem rears its ugly head: When would I have the time?
3 Responses to “DIY Multitouch Surface Computer”
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Rob O. Says:
April 8th, 2009 at 7:45 amThis is very impressive stuff, but it still begs the question: Isn’t this an incredibly flashy solution desperately in search of a problem?
How often do the snazzy things they’re showing off ever come into play in your typical computer use? I’m certain that there are some suitable applications for this, but other than pulling off an awesome Tom Cruise impersonation, very few come to mind. How often would you truly be willing to forgo the accuracy of a mouse when doing things like graphic design work? How often do you find yourself needing to shuffle a stack of photos on your desktop like a deck of cards?
Cool? Absolutely! Practical? Not so sure…
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FonAudio Says:
April 8th, 2009 at 5:36 pmRob, apparently you haven’t ventured out in the Audio world much.
After electronic music blew up in the 80’s more and more people found it necessary to use sequencers as well as sound creation devices AKA Synthesizers. Anyone would agree, the more parameters a synth has the more tweakable the sound. So analog synths became massively popular and more expensive to acquire.
Enter the era of VSTs and virtual synths.
For one you have Virtual synthesizers with more knobs than you can shake a mouse pointer at, literally. And so something like this can be extremely handy and not to mention incredibly awesome when used in at a live gig.So my take:
Cool? Hell yeah! Practical? The possibilities are endless!
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William Says:
April 11th, 2009 at 10:21 amPlain and simple:
I WANT ONE!
