TouchLight
Encyclopedia
TouchLight is an imaging touch screen and 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...

 display for gesture-based interaction. It was developed by Microsoft Research
Microsoft Research
Microsoft Research is the research division of Microsoft created in 1991 for developing various computer science ideas and integrating them into Microsoft products. It currently employs Turing Award winners C.A.R. Hoare, Butler Lampson, and Charles P...

 employee Andrew D. Wilson and made known to the public in late 2005. The technology was licensed to Eon Reality
Eon Reality
EON Reality, founded in 1999, is a private held US corporation with fully owned subsidiaries in Singapore and Sweden. EON Reality is focused on virtual reality solutions from simulation-based learning and safety training to the creation of interactive 3D product applications for a variety of...

 in July 2006.

Abilities

The TouchLight can both record and project simultaneously, and due to its 3D capabilities can be used almost as a mirror. This same principle could be applied to link two TouchLights together allowing two people anywhere in the world to communicate with each other as if they were sitting on opposite sides of the same desk. It can capture a high definition image of anything placed up against the screen. This image is then displayed in 2D. The user of the TouchLight can manipulate the size, position and orientation of the image by performing the corresponding action with his or her hands. The screen has a microphone built in that can detect vibration, thus allowing the user to change setting simply by tapping the screen.

Cost

At present the high end product costs upwards of $60,000, however Eon Reality
Eon Reality
EON Reality, founded in 1999, is a private held US corporation with fully owned subsidiaries in Singapore and Sweden. EON Reality is focused on virtual reality solutions from simulation-based learning and safety training to the creation of interactive 3D product applications for a variety of...

predicts that within 24 to 36 months the technology will be affordable enough for desktops.
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