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Build your own Surface table
RayB:
I'm considering building one of these. All the software is open source or free (except Windows of course). You can code your apps in your preferred environment, even Flash. I would make a small coffee table that acts as a media center, remote control for devices, etc. A cool addition to an entertainment room.
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/maximum_pc_builds_a_multitouch_surface_computer
SavannahLion:
You have got to be kidding. That seems almost too damn easy.
What I don't understand though is why the PS3 camera in particular used for this? What sets it apart from other cameras? Hackability?
MonMotha:
Somebody at (former) work played around with this, though they ran it on Linux, not Windows. The choice of camera comes down to finding one that can be made to be sensitive to IR. Many camera sensors are sensitive to IR, but they have filters over them to filter out the IR since humans are more interested in visible light when it comes to webcams. Removal of this visible spectrum filter and replacement with an IR pass filter stolen from a TV remote receiver or similar does nicely.
Biggest problem I noticed was slow "recovery time". That is, if you pressed on the surface and let go, it took a while for everything to return to normal and the press to fade out. That's not too bad for most normal desktop use (though it limits maximum "double click" speed), but for some applications it can prove troublesome.
Of course, you also have to do rear projection in order to get enough room for the camera. Not suitable for "panel" style touchscreens.
orion:
That looks slick and surprisingly simple. If you build one, please document it, that would be a cool project. I like the idea of using one as a remote... that would be cool, and well the ultimate in uber geeky.
massive88:
What about incorporating this on a smaller scale into a CP build?
For instance, joysticks as normal, but where the button layout goes, would be a plexi screen with LEDs to light up "buttons" based on your game selection.
Any lag in registering "presses" would be a downer, but for a modular layout, that would be totally sweet. It would be like a touch screen modular button layout, and just using LEDs to illuminate the buttons as opposed to a projector would make it a fair amount cheaper.
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