Mirosoft scientists develop "touchable 3D technology"

PanARMENIAN.Net - Microsoft-funded scientists have claimed to have developed a revolutionary form of "touchable 3D" technology that lets users reach out and feel an on-screen object, Digital Spy reveals.

The team at Natural Interaction Research in Washington equipped a multi-touch, stereo-vision 3D display with "kinaesthetic haptic sense" feedback to mimic the sensation of different materials.

On-screen objects were given different properties based on their real-life counterparts. For instance, stone blocks were made to feel hard to touch and difficult to push, while spongy items were soft.

Blindfolded test subjects were able to determine which objects they were feeling from touch alone, the research team claims.

"They couldn't see anything, and the shapes were simple objects," said researcher Mike Sinclair. "We knew beforehand that complicated objects wouldn't work, but some of the objects were reasonably sophisticated; a pyramid, a wedge, a cylinder. I'd say these results were the biggest and most pleasant surprise of the project."

Although the technology is unlikely to be adopted for commercial use for some time, its implications on the video game industry could be significant in the future.

Microsoft's Xbox division is currently experimenting with a piece of similar technology called IllumiRoom, which projects an expanded image outside of the television screen.

However, this is not expected to see the light of day until between five and ten years from now.