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I’d heard about smart table cloths and interactive furniture in the works, so when I first got wind of Microsoft’s ‘computer meets coffee table’ (codenamed Milan) I assumed it was something more dining oriented. Like maybe it could keep your coffee at a temperature you like, or help you reorganize the dishes so everyone seated has maximum elbow room. This is totally different, though. It’s more like a ridiculously cool touch-screen monitor that can download images and info from the cameras and phones you place on it, then lets you play with all the data with your fingers. It almost seems straight out of science fiction (Minority Report even). In any case, my description will never do it justice, so watch this video from Popular Mechanics to learn more. That said, I’m not sure it matches my decor. I can’t wait till Apple comes out with one in white.
This is great for MS, but they aren’t the first to do this, not by a long shot. Jeff Han with Perceptive Pixel (formerly Multi-Touch Interaction Research) had a working concept over a year ago. It is much more polished at doing the same things the MS table does, albeit without the device interaction.
MS may be the first to market, but from the other offerings I’ve seen in the last year theirs is the least advanced. And lets not forget everyone’s favorite Warcraft III table by Mitsubishi Electric Research Labs.
posted by Jared on 5-31-2007 at 1:59 pm
amazing! i remember seeing minority report with tom cruise and thinking: that’s the future…
posted by David on 5-31-2007 at 4:01 pm
Yeah not new at all.
www.touchtable.com
We have one where I work.
posted by cephyn on 5-31-2007 at 4:13 pm