Interactive Multitouch Display

Step 11: Enjoy

Excluding the projector, the total material cost is on the order of $100-200 depending on what you already have lying around. Construction time was around 15 hours, mostly soldering and sanding. There is a very active DIY/academic community which has started exploring this space; lots of reward and interesting things to be done for little work with very simple materials

touchlib
nui group
multitouch blog

Enjoy.

Comments

[DehLeprechaun]

would a set up like this work?

[Nauscar]

yes but you need a short-range projector. . which are more expensive.

[DehLeprechaun]

what if i made a serese of magnifying glasses to shorten the projection?

[JeffShortland]

My thought was using some form of modified LCD/OHP setup... that way, you run most of it gutting an old laptop, and just using the lenses to project the screen directly...

I'd love to see this as a modified gaming table

[M0HIZ]

I had roughly that idea, just jazzed up a bit. My idea was to use an old table or build one from wood, then give it a touchscreen and LCD. I would then put computer hardware into the base of the table, I would try to make it like the touchscreen table out of Quantum of Solace:

[M0HIZ]

One question, though: is there general rule of thumb for how many LEDs should be used per inch or perimeter or something, I mean, how do you decide how many to ue? Thanks!

[DehLeprechaun]

I was thinking as a workshop table, but using the gutted laptop is a good idea and then creating a custom interface or something, that would be epic!!!!

[JeffShortland]

You'd have to elaborate on what you meant by workshop table - all I can think of is like an actual work bench, covered with sawdust and small tools.. hahaha

I was thinking for running paper and pencil type games - being able to use an interactive table map that was solid enough to play on. There are a lot of programs out there that can be used (not in this intended way of course) to handle map generation and cloud of war effects.. but it would be awesome to do it with a table

[DehLeprechaun]

Interactive project layouts, autocad renders, that kind of stuff, not like a wood shop table or anything.

[JeffShortland]

that sounds brilliant.

I wonder how additional surface pressures/noise would impact that? like paper or white board markers, or rulers for example..

or, in my case, dice on the table surface...

[DehLeprechaun]

Though my understanding Is minimal of how this works I believe that the only problem would be drawing on the surface with dry erase markers because you would be pushing on the "screen" maybe a program that creates a button in the corner that can turn off it's sensitivity on all but te button. I'm not sure how papers and things lying on the surface would react but it would depend on the weight of the object and the sensitivity of the system...it would have to be experimented with, unfortunantly I have neither the time or money to do so, with school starting it makes it impossible for me to tinker or in some cases think straight :-(

[technoguy94]

That is EPIC. I have gotta build one.
There is a free online code library for the wiimote, and it reads four IR points automatically. Do you think it would be practical?

[technoguy94]

The code library is what I was talking about when I said it read four IR points automatically, just to make that clear.

[zeeebus]

Could you theoretically put the projector beneath the table?

[muhahaha]

Is it possible to use the wiimote instead of the ir webcam

[mvcisback]

the wiimote is an ir cam so i couldn't see why not

[siege10]

the wiimote isn't an ir cam its an ir emitter the sensor strip just has photo cells looking for the specific ir wave length emitted from the wiimote(which is why using you tv remote doesn't work...) this is basically the same thing as you tv remote but a little bigger.

[rschapman]

I believe this is the other way around. The wiimote is the camera and the ir bar is the emiiter. The bar is static so that the wiimote can do proper tracking. Here's some more info.

[TitanTechRobotics]

Yes, siege10 has backwards, the sensor bar emitts ir and the wiimote senses it with its camera.

[muhahaha]

you're right ,i use the wiimote with www.free-track.net

[Lance Mt.]

A simple observation of the sensor bar would show such proof. Word to the wise, check you info before you post. 
      -Cheers, Chris

[TheSmartLemon]

if u r on ur wii oneday go to wii settings and click on sensor bar or something and it comes up with a screen with 2 white lights( the ir rays)  if you get someone to hold the wii remote so these to dots r in the middle of thescreen and go up to the bar near ur tv cover one side and one of the dots will disappear cover the other one and the other one disappears its obvious that the wii remote is the sensor not the emmiter

[sambam2006]

What size acrylic did you use? And whats the thickness of it? Cheers, Sam