Hitachi Does Microsoft Surface Without the Table 110
An anonymous reader writes "According to CNET.co.uk, who randomly stumbled into a booth at CES, Toshiba has created a Microsoft Surface-type system without the unwieldy table. 'The StarBoard system is really two technologies in one. Firstly, it features Hitachi's short-throw LCD projector. This is important, because the projector sits mere inches from the interactive surface. This means you get a huge — 50-inch, in fact — bright screen, which doesn't get blocked out by your head as you lean over the table. The image it projects is incredibly high-quality too, and there was no noticeable distortion.' The video attached to the article shows the system in action." It should be noted that the implication that leaning over the table blocks a projection from above is spurious; the Surface projects an image from below. The 'overhead' setup at CES was a camera designed to show onlookers what was taking place on the table.
ICARS predicted this! (Score:5, Interesting)
I see this as ideal for collaboration. Gather a bunch of people around the big screen and they can all make changes in realtime. Very nice.
Microsoft already did this (Score:3, Interesting)
See here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xujhFInvyxo [youtube.com]
or here:
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2007/03/microsoft_research_techfe.html [makezine.com]
It's the original demonstration from where the current surface stemmed.
A specific table isn't essential to the surface concept.
Re:education (Score:2, Interesting)
pressed a button on the whiteboard and then passed out handouts with the screen drawing on it. He pressed
another button and a wiper passed across the board and restored it to all white so he could write and draw as
he pleased. It did not get in the way of education, in fact, it facilitated the instructor and his efforts.
Re:shadows (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:ICARS predicted this! (Score:3, Interesting)