A Report On

SURFACE COMPUTING
Submitted By:
1)saurate sahebrao shankarrao 2)suryavanshi shyam vaijinath

Computer Engineering Department Gramin polytechnic vishnupuri,nanded

Page 1

ABSTRACT
The name Surface comes from "surface computing," and Microsoft envisions the coffeetable machine as the first of many such devices. Surface computing uses a blend of wireless protocols, special machine-readable tags and shape recognition to seamlessly merge the real and the virtual world an idea the Milan team refers to as "blended reality." The table can be built with a variety of wireless surface. It supports multiple touch points Microsoft says "dozens and dozens" -- as well as multiple users simultaneously, so more than one person could be using it at once, or one person could be doing multiple tasks. The term "surface" describes how it's used. There is no keyboard or mouse. All interactions with the computer are done via touching the surface of the computer's screen with hands or brushes, or via wireless interaction with devices such as smartphones, digital cameras or Microsoft's Zune music player. Because of the cameras, the device can also recognize physical objects; for instance credit cards or hotel "loyalty" cards. For instance, a user could set a digital camera down on the tabletop and wirelessly transfer pictures into folders on Surface's hard drive. Or setting a music player down would let a user drag songs from his or her home music collection directly into the player, or between two players, using a finger or transfer mapping information for the location of a restaurant where you just made reservations through a Surface tabletop over to a smartphone just before you walk out the door. transceivers, including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and (eventually) radio frequency identification (RFID) and is designed to sync instantly with any device that touches its

Page 2

INTRODUCTION
For years engineers and computer technicians have looked for a better way for people to communicate with their computers. Keyboards while feeling natural to many of us has advanced very little beyond the typewriters which have been around for well over a hundred years and though the mouse is a step above that it still takes practice for someone who has never used one to become used to the idea of moving the mouse with it and after years of using a computer many older people still have trouble with the concepts of double clicking, right clicking, dragging, dropping and other techniques that can seem simple to more advanced computer users. Computing is usually defined as the activity of using and developing computer technology, computer hardware and software. It is the computer specific part of information technology. Surface computing or Microsoft surface (codename : Milan) is a multi-touch product form Microsoft which h is developed as a software and hardware combination technology that allows a user are multiple user to manipulate digital content by the use of natural motions , hand gestures, or physical objects. Microsoft Surface Computer is the first in a new category of surface computing products from Microsoft that will break down traditional barriers between people and technology. It is the next generation of computer interfaces those offer multi touch technology. Unlike most touch screens, surface computer can respond to more than one touch at a time without keyboard or a mouse. The next generation of computer interfaces will be hands on. Over the past couple of years, a new class of interactive device has begun to emerge, what can best be described as surface computing. Two examples are illustrated in this report. They are Surface Table top Perceptive Pixel

Page 3

The Surface table top typically incorporates a rear-projection display coupled with an optical system to capture touch points by detecting shadows from below. Different approaches to doing the detection have been used, but most employ some form of IR illumination coupled with IR cameras. With todays camera and signal-processing capability, reliable responsive and accurate multi-touch capabilities can be achieved. The multitouch pioneer and his company, Perceptive Pixel, have devoted the better part of two years to building an entirely new multitouch framework from the ground up. Instead of simply mapping multitouch technology to familiar interfaces and devices, Han's goal is far more sweeping: To use the technology as a foundation for an entirely new operating system. Because they are new to most, the tendency in seeing these systems is to assume that they are all more-or-less alike. Well, in a way that is true. But on the other hand, that is perhaps no more so than to say that all ICs are more-or-less alike, since they are black plastic things with feet like centipedes which contain a bunch of transistors and other stuff. In short, the more that you know, the more you can differentiate. But even looking at the two systems in the photo, there is evidence of really significant difference. The really significant difference is that one is vertical and the other is horizontal. Why is this significant? Well, this is one of those questions perhaps best answered by a child in kindergarten. They will tell you that if you put a glass of water on the vertical one, it will fall to the floor, leading to a bout of sitting in the corner. On the other hand, it is perfectly safe to put things on a table. They will stay there.

COMPUTING CURRICULA 2005 DEFINED COMPUTING:

In general way, we can define computing to mean any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefiting from or creating computers. Thus, computing includes designing and building hardware and software system for a wide range of purposes; processing, structuring, and managing various kinds of information; doing scientific studies using computers; making computer systems behave intelligently; creating and using communications and entertainment

Page 4

media; finding and gathering information relevant to any particular purpose, and so on. The list is virtually endless, and the possibilities are vast.

SURFACE COMPUTING
Surface computing is a new way of working with computers that moves beyond the traditional mouse-and-keyboard experience. It is a natural user interface that allows people to interact with digital content the same way they have interacted with everyday items such as photos, paintbrushes and music their entire life: with their hands, with gestures and by putting real-world objects on the surface. Surface computing opens up a whole new category of products for users to interact with. Surface computing is the term for the use of a specialized computer GUI in which traditional GUI elements are replaced by intuitive, everyday objects. Instead of a keyboard and mouse, the user interacts directly with a touch-sensitive screen. It has been said that this more closely replicates the familiar hands-on experience of everyday object manipulation. Early work in this area was done at the University of Toronto, Alias Research, and MIT.Surface work has included customized solutions from vendors such as GestureTek, Applied Minds for Northrop Grumman and SmartSurface. Major computer vendor platforms are in various stages of release: the iTable by PQLabs, Linux MPX, and Microsoft Surface. Surface computing is slowly starting to catch on and is starting to be used in real world applications. Here is just a sample of what surface computing technologies have been used. The Microsoft Surface is starting to pick up popularity and has been used in various places and venues. AT&T became the first retailer to use Surface to help their customers purchase phones. Customers could place the phones on the Surface and receive full phone specs, as well as pricing.It has also been used in a wide variety of locations which include hotel lobbies, such as Sheraton Hotels, as well as venues which included Super Bowl XLIII to help police organize and monitor the event in great detail.It is also starting to gain use in the broadcasting industry and has been used by MSNBC during the 2008 US Presidential Elections. However, USD $15,500 (device only) is still considered expensive for most business.
Page 5

There are other new surface computing applications that are still being developed, one of which is from the MIT Media Lab where students are developing wearable computing systems that can be used on almost any surface. The name of this device is SixthSense. Surface computing is a completely intuitive and liberating way to interact with digital content. It blurs the lines between the physical and virtual worlds. By using your hands or placing other unique everyday objects on the surface such as an item youre going to purchase at a retail store or a paint brush you can interact with, share and collaborate like youve never done before. Imagine youre out at a restaurant with friends and you each place your beverage on the table and all kinds of information appears by your glass, such as wine pairings with a restaurants menu. Then, with the flick of your finger, you order dessert and split the bill. We really see this as broadening content opportunities and delivery systems. Surface computing is a powerful movement. In fact, its as significant as the move from DOS [Disk Operating System] to GUI [Graphic User Interface]. Our research shows that many people are intimidated and isolated by todays technology. Many features available in mobile phones, PCs and other electronic devices like digital cameras arent even used because the technology is intimidating. Surface computing breaks down those traditional barriers to technology so that people can interact with all kinds of digital content in a more intuitive, engaging and efficient manner. Its about technology adapting to the user, rather than the user adapting to the technology. Bringing this kind of natural user interface innovation to the computing space is what Surface Computing is all about.

HISTORY OF SURFACE COMPUTING

Page 6

Surface computing is a major advancement that moves beyond the traditional user interface to a more natural way of interacting with digital content. Microsoft Surface, Microsoft Corp.s first commercially available surface computer, breaks down the traditional barriers between people and technology to provide effortless interaction with all forms of digital content through natural gestures, touch and physical objects instead of a mouse and keyboard. The people will be able to interact with Surface in select restaurants, hotels, retail establishments and public entertainment. In 2001, Stevie Bathiche of Microsoft Hardware and Andy Wilson of Microsoft Research began working together on various projects that took advantage of their complementary expertise in the areas of hardware and software. In one of their regular brainstorm sessions, they started talking about an idea for an interactive table that could understand the manipulation of physical pieces. Although there were related efforts happening in academia, Bathiche and Wilson saw the need for a product where the interaction was richer and more intuitive, and at the same time practical for everyone to use. This conversation was the beginning of an idea that would later result in the development of Surface, and over the course of the following year, various people at Microsoft involved in developing new product concepts, including the gaming-specific PlayTable, continued to think through the possibilities and feasibility of the project. Then in October 2001 a virtual team was formed to fully pursue bringing the idea to the next stage of development; Bathiche and Wilson were key members of the team. In early 2003, the team presented the idea to Bill Gates, Microsoft chairman, in a group review. Gates instantly liked the idea and encouraged the team to continue to develop their thinking. The virtual team expanded, and within a month, through constant discussion and brainstorming, the first humble prototype was born and nicknamed T1. The model was based on an IKEA table with a hole cut in the top and a sheet of architect vellum used as a diffuser. The evolution of Surface had begun. A variety of early applications were also built, including pinball, a photo browser and a video puzzle. As more applications were developed, the team saw the value of the surface computer beyond simply gaming and began to favor those applications that took advantage of the unique ability of Surface to recognize physical objects placed on the table. The team was also beginning to realize that surface computing could be applied to a number of
Page 7

different embodiments and form factors. Over the next year, the team grew significantly, including the addition of Nigel Keam, initially software development lead and later architect for Surcface, who was part of the development team eventually tasked with taking the product from prototype to a shipping product. Surface prototypes, functionality and applications were continually refined. More than 85 early prototypes were built for use by software developers, hardware developers and user researchers. One of the key attributes of Surface is object recognition and the ability of objects placed on the surface to trigger different types of digital responses, including the transfer of digital content. This feature went through numerous rounds of testing and refining. The team explored various tag formats of all shapes and sizes before landing on the domino tag (used today) which is an 8-bit, three-quarter-inch-square tag that is optimal thanks to its small size. At the same time, the original plan of using a single camera in the vision system was proving to be unreliable. After exploring a variety of options, including camera placement and different camera lens sizes, it was decided that Surface would use five cameras that would more movements and gestures from the surface. accurately detect natural

HARDWARE DESIGN
By late 2004, the software development platform of Surface was well-established and attention turned to the form factor. A number of different experimental prototypes were built including the tub model, which was encased in a rounded plastic shell,
Page 8

THE TUB MODEL

a desk-height model with a square top and cloth-covered sides, and even a bar-height model that could be used while standing. After extensive testing and user research, the final hardware design (seen today) was finalized in 2005. Also in 2005, Wilson and Bathiche introduced the concept of surface computing in a paper for Gates twice-yearly Think Week, a time Gates takes to evaluate new ideas and technologies for the company.

FROM PROTOTYPE TO PRODUCT

The next phase of the development of Surface focused on continuing the journey from concept to product. Although much of what would later ship as Surface was determined, there was significant work to be done to develop a market-ready product that could be scaled to mass production.
Page 9

T1 PROTOTYPE

In early 2006, Pete Thompson joined the group as general manager, tasked with driving end-to-end business and growing development and marketing. Under his leadership, the group has grown to more than 100 employees. Today Surface has become the market-ready product once only envisioned by the group, a 30-inch display in a table like form factor thats easy for individuals or small groups to use collaboratively. The sleek, translucent surface lets people engage with Surface using touch, natural hand gestures and physical objects placed on the surface. Years in the making, Microsoft Surface is now poised to transform the way people shop, dine, entertain and live. This is a radically different user-interface experience than anything and its really a testament to the innovation that comes from marrying brilliance and creativity.

KEY ATTRIBUTES OF SURFACE COMPUTING

Page 10

Surface computing features four key attributes:

Direct interaction: Users can actually grab digital

information with their hand and interact with content through touch and gesture, without the use of a mouse or keyboard. Customers will benet from Microsoft Surface instantly. Interacting with content is natural, simple, intuitive, and fun.

Multitouch contact: Surface computing recognizes many

points of contact simultaneously, not just from one finger as with a typical touch screen, but up to dozens and dozens of items at once.

Page 11

Multiuser experience: The 30-inch diagonal display and

the horizontal form factor makes it easy for several people to gather around surface computers together, providing a collaborative, facetoface computing experience.

Object recognition: Users can place physical objects on

the surface to trigger different types of digital responses, including the transfer of digital content.

MULTI-TOUCH
Multi-touch is an enhancement to touchscreen technology, which provides the user with the ability to apply multiple finger gestures simultaneously onto the electronic visual display to send complex commands to the device.

Page 12

Multi-touch screen

Multi-touch has been implemented in several different ways, depending on the size and type of interface. Both touchtables and touch walls project an image through acrylic or glass, and then backlight the image with LED's. When a finger or an object touches the surface, causing the light to scatter, the reflection is caught with sensors or cameras that send the data to software which dictates response to the touch, depending on the type of reflection measured. Touch surfaces can also be made pressure-sensitive by the addition of a pressure-sensitive coating that flexes differently depending on how firmly it is pressed, altering the reflection.Handheld technologies use a panel that carries an electrical charge. When a finger touches the screen, the touch disrupts the panel's electrical field. The disruption is registered and sent to the software, which then initiates a response to the gesture. In the past few years, several companies have released products that use multitouch. In an attempt to make the expensive technology more accessible, hobbyists have also published methods of constructing DIY touchscreens.

Major brands and manufacturers

Many companies in recent years have expanded into multitouch, with systems designed for everything from the casual user to multinational organizations.

Page 13

Laptop manufacturers have begun to include multitouch trackpads on their laptops, as well as constructing tablet PC's that respond to touch input rather than traditional stylus input. In the wake of the iPhone, several mobile phone manufacturers have begun to replace traditional push-button interfaces with multitouch interfaces on their handheld devices as well. So far, such innovations are mostly restricted to the higher-end smartphones used for web browsing and computing in addition to phone-based functions. A few companies are focusing on large-scale surface computing rather than personal electronics, either large multitouch tables or wall surfaces. These systems carry a hefty price tag and are generally used by government organizations, museums, and companies as a means of information or exhibit display. Apple Inc. lists "Multi-Touch" on their page of trademarks, however, this was only added some time after October 2007,and Apple was awarded a patent covering multitouch on 20 January 2009.

Software
Many recent operating systems support multitouch, including Mac OS X, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP Tablet PC Edition and Ubuntu (since version 7.10), Apple's iPhone OS, Google's Android, Palm's webOS and Xandros.

Popular culture references

Pop culture has also portrayed potential uses of multi-touch technology in the future, including several installments of the Star Trek franchise. The television series CSI: Miami introduced both surface and wall multitouch displays in its sixth season. Another television series, NCIS: Los Angeles make use of multitouch surfaces and wall panels as an initiative to go digital. Another form of a multi-touch computer was seen in the motion picture,The Island, where the professor, played by Sean Bean, has a multi-touch desktop to organize files, based on an early version of Microsoft Surface. Multitouch technology
Page 14

can also be seen in the James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, where MI6 uses a touch interface to browse information about the criminal Dominic Greene.In a parodic episode of the popular TV series The Simpsons, when Lisa Simpson travels to the underwater headquarters of Mapple to visit Steve Jobs, the erstwhile pretender to the throne of Mapple is shown to be performing multiple multi-touch hand gestures on a large touch wall. A device similar to the Surface was seen in the 1982 movie Tron. It took up an executive's entire desk and was used to communicate with the Master Control computer.The interface used to control the alien ship in the movie District 9 features such similar technology. Microsoft's Surface was also used in the movie "The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008 film)

OBJECT RECOGNIZATION
The object recognition feature on Microsoft Surface is the first of its kind. Since most touch screens are dependent on electrical resistance or heat, it would not work. But since Surface is simply ased on touch (which cameras recognize (Natural User Interface (NUI) )) it can recognize not only human touch, but objects as well. In fact, object recognition is almost exactly the same as touch recognition. A game with bouncing balls would bounce off of a camera just as it would a finger or hand. The nice thing about this is that it helps merge technology with the real world. That means that in the paint app, you can use the paintbrush rather than your finger, and have the same effect. And in the air hockey app, the puck and goalie mallets from any other table work perfectly. But when it comes to Microsoft Surface, there is object recognition and there is object recognition. What I mean is that Surface can do more than just say hey, there is an object on me. Microsoft Surface can also recognize specific objects, what they are, and interact with them!In order for Surface to recognize what an object is you have to put a tag on it. These are called byte tags, and they look a lot like a domino:
Page 15

When an object with a tag is placed on the Surface, the relation between the tag and the object is recognized, and from there on out, it is recognized as that object. So if you put a camera down with a tag in relation to that camera, the Surface recognizes the object as a camera. This has no use in simple things such as a paintbrush or airhockey puck/goalie mallets as mentioned before. This is used when sharing data between digital electronics and Surface, such as cameras, mp3 players, and cell phones. But you need more than just a tag to do that. For the data transfers, Microsoft Surface uses Bluetooth 2.0. So once you place your camera (which has a tag on it), and it is recognized as a camera, Bluetooth 2.0 downloads all of the images onto surface, and creates a spill out effect. Its as simple as that, but at the same time, very advanced.

TECHNOLOGY BEHIND SURFACE COMPUTING

Microsoft Surface uses cameras to sense objects, hand gestures and touch. This user input is then processed and displayed using rear projection. Specifically:

Page 16

 Microsoft Surface uses a rear projection system which displays an image onto the underside of a thin diffuser.

Objects such as fingers are visible through the diffuser by series of infraredsensitive cameras, positioned underneath the display.

An image processing system processes the camera images to detect fingers, custom tags and other objects such as paint brushes when touching the display.

The objects recognized with this system are reported to applications running in the computer so that they can react to object shapes, 2D tags, movement and touch.

One of the key components of surface computing is a "multitouch" screen. It is an idea that has been floating around the research community since the 1980s and is swiftly becoming a hip new product interface Apple's new iPhone has multitouch scrolling and picture manipulation. Multitouch devices accept input from multiple fingers and multiple users simultaneously, allowing for complex gestures, including grabbing, stretching, swiveling and sliding virtual objects across the table. And the Surface has the added advantage of a horizontal screen, so several people can gather around and use it together. Its interface is the exact opposite of the personal computer: cooperative, hands-on, and designed for public spaces.

WHAT OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE?

Page 17

Many companies have begun developing some type of surface computing. Some, like Microsoft, turn customized furniture (i.e., tabletops or bars) into interactive surfaces; while others, such as GesturTek, design their systems to work with pre-existing structures like walls and loors. While the following does not detail all of the surface computing solutions in market today, it does provide an overview of the major players.

Microsoft Surface Microsoft Surface is arguably the best known surface computing

solution in market today. Surface is a table-top only, multi-touch display that uses cameras (within the tables) and rear-projection to provide interactivity through natural gestures, touch, and physical objects.

Laser Touch (Microsoft) Laser Touch is a low-cost solution that can transform any

display (monitor, projector, etc.) into a touch screen. The biggest difference from Surface, aside from price, is Laser Touchs ability to be used on multiple displays, not just tables. Unfortunately, there are no plans to commercialize it.

GestureTek GestureTeks solutions include interactive displays for any surface (tables,

loors, and walls), as well as virtual gaming and interactive signage. GestureTek also uses its solutions for industry-based specialties (i.e., health and mobile), enough that it has created different divisions within the company for these two. It has enough solutions to offer a custom toolkit to potential clients, including components of its different solutions or whole solutions themselves.

Perceptive Pixel Perceptive Pixel was founded by Jeffry Han, considered by many to

be the revolutionary mind of multi-touch displays. Han has developed large-scale, multitouch displays for corporations and the government, and he is also rumored to be the mind behind iPhones multi-touch display. Perceptive Pixel specializes in giant, wall-sized
Page 18

touch screens that support multiple inputs. These displays were used on CNN during the 2008 election season.

Diamond Touch (Mitsubishi) Diamond Touch is a table-top only, multi-touch display

that supports small group collaborations. Diamond Touch was speciically intended for inofice business use. Its unique technology uses antennas instead of cameras.

Smart Table Smart Table is a table-top only, multi-touch display intended for child

education.

Catchyoo Catchyoo provides interactive solutions for loors, walls, and tables. Its

solutions are designed for large system deployment and include worldwide network capabilities. These networks are similar to comprehensive digital signage networks with features like content management, real-time administration, and scheduling.

Reactrix Reactrixs solutions are more sophisticated than Catchyoos, but almost

identical. According to MediaWeek, as of October 2008, Reactrix is up for sale and is in discussions with potential buyers.

Sensacell Sensacell is an interactive loor system comprised of different modules that

can form any shape of any size (up to thousands of square feet). Once the user is within six feet of the modules or steps on them, sensors identify the proximity/pressure and react by illuminating.

SPECIFICATION
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Page 19

Display Type: 30-inch XGA DLP projector ATI X1650 graphics card with 256 MB of memory Maximum resolution: 1024 x 768 Lamp mean-life expectancy: 6,000+ hours Maximum pressure on the display: 50 pounds per square inch/3.5 kg per cm Maximum load: 200 pounds

Input Devices Camera-based vision system with LED infrared direct illumination

Computing System 2.13-GHz Intel CoreTM 2 Duo processor Memory: 2 GB dual-channel DDR2 Storage: Minimum 250 GB SATA hard-disk drive

Page 20

 Audio Output type: Stereo at panel built-in speakers Output compliant standards: Stereo Input: None Network Protocols and Standards Network adapter: Intel Gb LAN Wireless LAN connectivity supported: Yes Networking and Data Protocols: IEEE802.11b, IEEE802.11g, Bluetooth 2.0, Gigabit Ethernet I/O Connections 2 headphone jacks 6 USB 2.0 ports RGB component video S-VGA video (DB15 external VGA connector) Component audio Ethernet port (Gigabit Ethernet card [10/100/1000] External monitor port Bays for routing cables On/Standby power button

Page 21

AC Input Ratings AC input: 100-240 VAC, 50/60Hz, 10A, 650W

THE HARDWARE
Essentially, Microsoft Surface is a computer embedded in a medium-sized table, with a large, flat display on top that is touch-sensitive. The software reacts to the touch of any object, including human fingers, and can track the presence and movement of many different objects at the same time. In addition to sensing touch, the Microsoft Surface unit can detect objects that are labeled with small "domino" stickers, and in the future, it will identify devices via radiofrequency identification (RFID) tags. The demonstration unit I used was housed in an attractive glass table about three feet high, with a solid base that hides a fairly standard computer equipped with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, an AMI BIOS, 2 GB of RAM, and Windows Vista. The team lead would not divulge which graphics card was inside, but they said that it was a moderately-powerful graphics card from either AMD/ATI or NVIDIA.

Page 22

 Screen: A diffuser turns the Surface's acrylic tabletop into a large horizontal

"multitouch" screen, capable of processing multiple inputs from multiple users. The Surface can also recognize objects by their shapes or by reading coded "domino" tags.

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.

Page 23

 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 or Near Field Communications). The underlying operating system is a modified version of Microsoft Vista.

Projector: Microsoft's Surface uses the same DLP light engine found in many rear-

projection HDTVs. 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.

The display screen is a 4:3 rear-projected DLP display measuring 30 inches diagonally. The screen resolution is a relatively modest 1024x768, but the touch detection system had an effective resolution of 1280x960. Unlike the screen resolution, which for the time being is constant, the touch resolution varies according to the size of the screen usedit is designed to work at a resolution of 48 dots per inch. The top layer also works as a diffuser, making the display clearly visible at any angle. Unlike most touch screens, Surface does not use heat or pressure sensors to indicate when someone has touched the screen. Instead, five tiny cameras take snapshots of the surface many times a second, similar to how an optical mouse works, but on a larger scale. This allows Surface

Page 24

to capture many simultaneous touches and makes it easier to track movement, although the disadvantage is that the system cannot (at the moment) sense pressure. Five cameras mounted beneath the table read objects and touches on the acrylic surface above, which is flooded with near-infrared light to make such touches easier to pick out. The cameras can read a nearly infinite number of simultaneous touches and are limited only by processing power. Right now, Surface is optimized for 52 touches, or enough for four people to use all 10 fingers at once and still have 12 objects sitting on the table. The unit is rugged and designed to take all kinds of abuse. Senior director of marketing Mark Bolger demonstrated this quite dramatically by slamming his hand onto the top of the screen as hard as he couldit made a loud thump, but the unit itself didn't move. The screen is also water resistant. At an earlier demonstration, a skeptical reporter tested this by pouring his drink all over the device. Microsoft has designed the unit to put up with this kind of punishment because it envisions Surface being used in environments such as restaurants where hard impacts and spills are always on the menu. The choice of 4:3 screen was, according to Nigel Keam, mostly a function of the availability of light engines (projectors) when the project began. Testing and user feedback have shown that the 4:3 ratio works well, and the addition of a slight amount of extra acrylic on each side leaves the table looking like it has normal dimensions. Built-in wireless and Bluetooth round out although for regular use it is not required. the hardware capabilities of Surface. A

Bluetooth keyboard with a built-in trackpad is available to diagnose problems with the unit,

SYSTEM SOFTWARE
Microsoft Surface works much like another Microsoft product, Media Center, in that the main application runs on top of Windows and takes over the whole screen. Like Media Center, it is designed to be difficult to exit the application without using a mouse or keyboard. I asked if the

Page 25

Surface team considered allowing the user to drop into Windows mode while retaining the touch functionality, but they felt that the product worked better if it stayed in this mode. The various demonstration programs are accessed from a main menu, which scrolls left and right in an endless loop. The user moves the selection by swiping back and forth and selects an application with a single tap. This works reasonably well and feels quite natural. When an application is selected, a swirly purple ring appears in the center of the screen to indicate that the program is loading.

There were eight different programs available: Water, Video Puzzle, Paint, Music, Photos, Casino, a T-Mobile demonstration app, and Dining. Much of the software was ritten using Microsoft's WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation), though the XNA development toolkit, a framework originally created for writing PC and Xbox 360 games, is also supported. XNA allows programmers to use managed code written in C# to manipulate various DirectX features; managed code frees the programmer from worrying about handling memory, allocating and discarding memory automatically. This approach has allowed Microsoft and its partners to write impressive-looking demonstration programs for Surface more quickly than would otherwise be possible.

FEATURES
Multi-touch display. The Microsoft Surface display is capable of multi-touch interaction, recognizing dozens and dozens of touches simultaneously, including fingers, hands, gestures and objects.

Page 26

Perceptive Pixels touch screens work via frustrated total internal reflection Technology. The acrylic surface has infrared LEDs on the edges. When undisturbed, the light passes along predictable paths, a process known as total internal reflection. When one or more fingers touch the surface, the light diffuses at the contact points, changing the internal-reflection pathways. A camera below the surface captures the diffusion and sends the information to image-processing software, which translates it into a command.

Multitouch technology has been around since early research at the University of Toronto in 1982. With multitouch devices, one or more users activate advanced functions by touching a screen in more than one place at the same time. For example, a person could expand or shrink images by pinching the edges of the display window with the thumb and forefinger of one hand, explained Microsoft principal researcher Bill Buxton. Users could also, while in contact with a point on a map, touch other controls to make the system display information, such as nearby restaurants, about the area surrounding the indicated location. This is accomplished much as it has been in PCs for years.

Page 27

For example, desktop users can press the Alt and Tab keys at the same time to toggle between open windows. The OS translates the simultaneous keystrokes into a single command. Industry observers say tabletop computers are likely to become a popular multitouch-screen implementation. Because multiple users at different positions will work with tabletop systems, the computers must be able to display material in different parts of the screen and move controls around to keep them from blocking reoriented content. The systems can determine users locations based on the positions from which they input commands or data. The computers then orient their displays toward the tabletop edge nearest to the user. Vendors are beginning to release commercial multitouch systems. For example, Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories Diamond Touch table, which includes a developers kit, can be used for small-group collaboration.

Horizontal orientation. The 30-inch display in a table-sized form factor allows users to

share, explore and create experiences together, enabling a truly collaborative computing experience.

Dimensions. Microsoft Surface is 22 inches high, 21 inches deep and 42 inches wide.

Materials. The Microsoft Surface tabletop is acrylic, and its interior frame is powder-

coated steel.

ADVANTAGES
Page 28

 Large surface area to view different windows and applications. Data Manipulation - Selecting, moving, rotating and resizing (manipulating objects on the screen is similar to manipulating them in the manual world). Quick and easy to use. More Than One User Several people can orient themselves on different sides of the surface to interact with an application simultaneously (Max 52 points of touch). Objects Recognition - Increased functionality aiding user in speed and ease of use.

APPLICATIONS OF SURFACE COMPUTING

WATER
Water is used as an "attract mode" for the Surface desktop, and it is certainly attractive. The default background picture is an image of smooth pebbles that appear to sit beneath a thin layer of rippling water. By itself, the water moves as if it were being disturbed by a light breeze, but it is when you touch the screen that it becomes more interesting than just another screensaver.

Page 29

Tapping anywhere on the surface causes larger ripples to spread out from the point of contact. Many people can tap at the same time, making an effect similar to a rainstorm. But by far the most fun is when you sweep your whole hand across and cause waves to bounce back and forth. The physics of the water simulation is not perfect: the ripples never get above a certain intensity, and there is no way to simulate diffraction. However, the overall effect is strangely compelling and is certainly a good way to introduce people to Surface. One interesting feature of Water is that if you take any object (the team used a regular stove dial) and stick an identification sticker on the bottom, the program will switch background pictures whenever you turn the dial.

Page 30

PAINT
Paint programs have been a natural demonstration application for new platforms ever since MacPaint graced the first Macintosh back in 1984. Surfaces paint program is even lighter on features than MacPaint was, but the natural user interface makes up for this deficiency.

There are three draw modes that can be toggled by touching an icon on the bottom of the toolbar: brush, paint, and reveal, the last of which is kind of a negative brush that shows a background bitmap underneath. The brush mode is a bit spotty and tends to skip, but the paint mode is smooth and fun. You can draw using one finger, all your fingers at once (good for drawing hair), the palm of your hand, or using any natural object such as a regular paintbrush. Using the program is like having a flashback to finger painting back in kindergarten (minus the mess), and certainly children will have tons of fun with this kind of application.

Page 31

Page 32

CONCLUSIONS
Some people will look at Surface and claim that it does nothing that hasn't been tried before: computers with touch screens have been around for years and have already found niches in ATMs, ticket ordering machines, and restaurant point-of-sale devices. This view largely misses the point of the product. Like most projects, Surface takes existing technology and presents it in a new way. It isn't simply a touch screen, but more of a touch-grab-move-slide-resize-and-place-objects-on-top-of-screen, and this opens up new possibilities that weren't there before. Playing with the unit felt a bit like being in the movie Minority Report (in a good way), but it also felt like a more natural and enjoyable method of doing certain computing tasks. Sharing and looking at family photos, for example, is more fun on Surface than on any other device. The retail applications, particularly the dining application, show how businesses could
Page 33

use the technology to really stand out from competitors, though one wonders how diners will react when their table locks up and needs a reboot. Many people who viewed the early Xerox PARC demonstrations of the GUI came out of that experience knowing that every computer would work that way someday, and they were right. Playing with Surface, one gets the sense that although not every computer will work like this someday, many of them will. More importantly, computers running Surface-like software will end up in places that never had computers before, and the potential applications are exciting. Imagine a multiplayer real-time strategy game where you and another human opponent can move units around as quickly as you can point to them. Or perhaps an educational environment, where university students could assemble and disassemble anything from molecules to skyscrapers quickly and easily.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Apple iPhone Multi-touch. http://www.apple.com/iph

www.scribd.com www.whereisdoc.com www.docjax.com Microsoft Surface, http://www.surface.com Perceptive Pixel, http://www.perceptivepixel.com

Page 34