Surface computing

Microsoft has been busy developing Microsoft Surface, a table-top computer interaction environment, and it has been in the pipeline for the past couple of years. The New Economy takes a look at the technology, its origins and the possibilities which it heralds for the future.

The launch of Microsoft Surface marks the beginning of a new technology category and a user-interface revolution. Surface, Microsoft’s first surface computer, provides effortless interaction with digital content through natural hand gestures, touch and physical objects. Surface computing breaks down traditional barriers between people and technology, changing the way people interact with all kinds of everyday information — from photos to maps to menus.

It is just another step in the field of augmented reality, where real-life objects are blended with computer generated information. Perhaps the most prolific augmented reality system of recent times is the HUD or head up display used by fighter pilots to provide real-time data right in front of their eyes.

Such technology for the mobile world is the stuff of science fiction. William Gibson’s 1984 cyberpunk novel Neuromancer hinted at the use of ocular implants to provide real-time information on locations as you walk down the street.

Not a groundbreaking idea for the time, Ivan Sutherland’s research in the mid-60s on augmented reality systems paved the way for technology like Microsoft Surface, and the Apple iPhone, which, although not strictly augmented reality, is a step in that direction, housing all the elements we might expect for mobile augmented reality systems (MARS).

The possibilities

Microsoft have been quick to put an entertainment spin on their latest creation, hinting at having a quick and easy method of collaborative computing where images and files are shared over a coffee top table, routes are planned and downloaded to PDAs which are automatically recognised and accessed via the tabletop.

The possibilities for this kind of technology are attributable to more than just entertainment though, the creative sectors as well as medical fields such as radiology could benefit enormously.

The scalability of Microsoft Surface is perhaps the winning feature of the technology. It opens up the possibility of a world where we are not confined to finite physical limitations. A virtual keyboard on Microsoft Surface can be resized to suit the individual for example.

So, how long before we will get our hands on this? It is difficult to say. The transition between our traditional view of computing and this evolution in human-computer interaction, or rather world-computer interaction, will not be easy for many. The cost wil also be another factor for home consumers, working models of this technology are only currently available to business and government sectors.