I have loved the physical world where - ‘A table is a table’ and if I want to move the table, I will hold it and move it on any axis in space. Similarly, if I have to read a book – I will hold it (maybe lie on a rocking chair), read the page (and perhaps lick my finger) and riffle the pages - and that’s what I call ‘Reading Experience’.
Now, lets see the virtual world where if I have to move the table, I will first look for a mouse and then carefully target the cursor on the table on my computer screen and finally move the device (mouse) on horizontal plane to move the table on vertical plane. And if I have to read a book...i don’t even want to construe the set of actions I will have to take from selection of book to final reading.
I always wondered why the physical world experience could not translate into virtual world until I recently saw the Microsoft Surface at IIT Techfest 2009. The interaction device has come to India for the first time and was displayed in a premier technology institute during its annual festival.
What is Microsoft Surface?
Microsoft Surface formerly known as ‘Milan’ is something that provides a palpable experience for users and is a paradigm shift when it comes to dealing with software.
Technology in my opinion is creating a world of aliens where masses sit nibbling on their technological devices. People sit back to back in an office so that they can gaze at their monitors. Children sit facing their gaming consoles rather than facing each other. However, in this era of turning back at each other, Microsoft Surface has introduced’ Surface’ which allows 40 people to sit facing each other and they can work on it concurrently. This means that 40 people can actually look at each other when working on any application..Thank God (Microsoft), we have just been salvaged from the crisis of being introverted and isolated in our own world.
What more...You want to share photos, print them or delete them from your camera. You no more have to deal with USB ports, Bluetooth, small camera screens...You can do it directly on Microsoft Surface in an exceptionally uncomplicated way.
You want to book seats in a hotel for the evening..You no longer need to type in the computer screen. Use tactile interactions on the MS Surface and it will be done. You want to split bills in a hotel and pay up. Do it using Microsoft Surface.
Watch all this Live in action on this video that Microsoft is broadcasting on youtube.
How does it Work?
The customer DLP cameras sense objects, hand gestures and touch. This becomes the "user input" that is processed by the computer and software that sits under the table and on top of a Vista operating system. The results of the processing are displayed on the 30" screen using rear projection.
The system can also recognize tagged objects so that if you have a tagged wine bottle for example, you can place the wine on the surface and up will pop all the info on the wine, the vineyard, the drinkability of the wine, suggested food pairings and you can even order the foods right from the suggested pairings by dragging the food name to an order area on the surface.
Is it being used anywhere?
AT&T Wireless (T) Stores use this device to elucidate the features of cell phones to its sales people.
Harrah’s Entertainment casino uses this to assist patrons in ordering drinks. Users can also download photos from a wireless-equipped digital camera placed on top of Surface.
What does all this mean?
Limitless opportunities and fantasies lie in this product.
The world of interactions will change from ticktocking on a keyboard and mobile phone keypad to literally holding it and feeling it on the ‘Surface’.
Your kid could digitally paint on the Surface. Your wife could choose her dress for the evening by keeping her picture on the ‘Surface’ and draping it in her favourite saree. You could pay your bills by the tap of a Surface.
Going for a vacation would mean seeing the place on the ‘Surface’, finding routes (by actually moving your finger on the Surface like you would drive on the road) and sharing pictures of your vacation in the most unobtrusive ways.
Architects could create models of landscape on sand and shape their buildings in stone and see it actually converted to digitised format in MS Surface.
Conclusion
All this will usher us to the next level of Human Computer Interaction with a new set of challenges and solutions. We may not be ready for this future generation product yet, but the coming generations will see a more friendly and tactile way of interacting with each other. They will not be busy chatting, emailing, blogging the way we have done. They would be busy converting the physical world to virtual world, LITERALLY!!
