OmniTouch: Touch Screen interface on any surface

While interactive interface projectors are far from new, this innovative concept design utilizes a different approach that promises to turn just about any solid surface into a touch-sensitive input device. Harrison and his colleagues combined a PrimeSense short-range depth camera with a Microvision ShowWX+ laser pico-projector. The camera generated a 320×240 depth map at a rate of 30FPS, even for objects as close as 8 inches (20cm). 

The OmniTouch gets its edge in finger position detection through a complex series of calculations that begins with the generation of the depth map. The projector delivered a sharp, focus-free, wide-angle image independent of the surface’s distance – a useful property in such applications. The inputs yielded closely approximate those of touchscreens and mice, so the possibilities for the OmniTouch are seemingly endless.

[Article & Images via: t-future]