Designed for museums, research labs, and other demanding public environments, the MT-50 Multitouch Table, now discontinued, stood in a class of its own as the most durable and reliable multitouch table available. With 60+ points of input, a powerful computer, and true multiuser support, the MT-50 Table found its place on the floors of busy museums in North America and beyond.
We’ve already leaked details and hinted at the secret recipe that made the MT-50 a success. Now, on the heels of the release of our new multitouch table, we have decided to “open source” the complete plans and parts list for the MT-50 table.
Countless hours of research and refinement have gone into producing the MT-50 table. This system is projection based, and uses optical multitouch technology to create interactivity. The components have been carefully sourced for optimum durability, performance, and longevity. However, the design is modular, so some of the parts and materials suggested can be substituted for less expensive, less rugged alternatives at your discretion.
We’ve taken great care to document every step and design detail in this PDF. It’s our hope that ambitous museum staffers and DIY multitouch enthusiasts will benefit from this document and the research and engineering that made the MT-50 a multitouch workhorse.
You can download the complete parts list and DIY assembly instructions here:
This video demonstrates the results of a recent collaboration between SENSUS and our own Open Exhibits software initiative. The concept is simple: make networking and sharing transparent across multitouch devices and operating systems. The demo video shows an Android Tablet (Samsung Galaxy), a Multitouch Table (our own, new MT55), a Windows 7 multitouch kiosk, and an iPod–all sharing media items (images, video, and a Google Map) effortlessly. This easy sharing is made possible with Konnectus software which is a new cloud-computing platform developed by SENSUS.
The Konnectus software and the Open Exhibits modules will be available later this summer. And, Yes! These “network friendly” software modules will also work with our GestureWorks multitouch framework.
Here’s a bit more about Konnectus and our partners at SENSUS…
KonnectUs is a new cloud-computing software platform by SENSUS designed to make sophisticated networking functions easy and intuitive for users across a range of devices including multitouch tables, desktop computers, tablets, and mobile phones. KonnectUs “Natural Networking Technology (NNT)” empowers users to connect seamlessly across all major platforms – from Windows to Android to iOS. The new software aims to deliver a desktop user experience for key cloud-based services such as file sharing, social networking and location-relevant distribution of content. Additionally, KonnectUs APIs allow developers the opportunity to leverage the power of SENSUS networking technology through integration into third party applications.
We’ve made a great deal of progress since our last blog post on the multitouch wall project (see: Building a Multitouch Wall (Part 2)). The big news is that we’ve completed an illumination test and the image looks really great! The exhibit is using dVision 35 WQXGA XB LED projectors by Digital Projection. These awesome, short throw projectors have a resolution of 2560 x 1600. The combined resolution of the round 7-foot, multitouch wall will be better than HD at 2560 x 2560.
To mount these two projectors, we designed custom, adjustable projector mounts out of aluminum. These mounts –along with the cameras and first-surface mirrors– connect to the aluminum rigging we designed (mentioned in the last installment). All of these pieces need to fit and work within a tight 3 foot space!
In the last blog post, I mentioned that we are using 10mm haptic tempered glass fronting a piece of acrylic with projection material that will go directly behind it. The acrylic is from Draper it is 1/4″ Cine 13 Optical Coating it has a dark grey tint. Locating 84″ of projection material that was seamless, was one of the challenges we faced in developing this exhibit.
For our illumination test we displayed an early version of the software. The exhibit will allow visitors to “touch” plankton and learn more about them. As I mentioned in a previous post, this exhibit is going to be installed in a major North American aquarium. (We have received permission from them to share the development process as long as we don’t divulge their name.)
Finally, we have designed and fabricated all of the laser mounts for the outside wall. The image above shows a close-up. There are 8 laser mounts with a total of 16 lasers creating two interlaced grids. The lasers are 5mW, similar in power to a laser pointer. These lasers will be used to track visitors fingers and hands as they interact with the wall (it is a method called Laser Light Plane (LLP). This application of LLP is completely safe; along with the low power, these laser will not come in contact with visitor’s eyes. A metal flange will completely cover the laser mounts.
In our next installment we will show you how we are blending the two high-resolution images together. To see the previous steps in the process check out: Building a High-Resolution Multitouch Wall Part 1 & Part 2.
Back in November, I first blogged about building a 7-foot, round, high-resolution multitouch wall. At that point in the process we had just received the large ring and built the computer system. Now, we have installed the glass and have built out the rigging for the cameras and projectors.
The glass is haptic: it has a texture, doesn’t show fingerprints, and still displays the image beautifully. We purchased the glass from a company called Sevasa. They make an acid-etched architectural glass that has a great feel to it. The tempered glass is 10mm thick.
Due to the size of the glass, we are not adhering the project material directly on to the glass, but rather we have a piece of acrylic with projection material that will go directly behind the glass. We have already done projection test and the combination works great. (I will post more about that once we put the acrylic in place.)
Behind the 7-foot ring, we have built a rigging frame out of Bosch aluminum. The rigging holds the four IR (infrared) cameras in place. It will also hold the projectors in place.
We will be using an IR method called Laser Light Plane (LLP) illumination. The system will have four cameras that will gather the tracking information. The exhibit will be installed in early summer, it is being built for a major North American aquarium. We will post another update on this project in the next week or two.
To see the previous step in the process check out: Building a High-Resolution Multitouch Wall Part 1.
In February, I’ll be presenting at the Blur Conference in Orlando, Florida. My talk will focus on what we’ve learned from developing multitouch and multiuser installations over the last few years.
The Blur Conference focuses on the new ways in which people are interacting with computers. This is first time this event has ever been held. So what is Blur about? From the conference webpage…
It’s easy to forget that the computer mouse is over 45 years old.
What’s not as easy to forget is that we’re now collectively getting used to interacting with computers via means and interfaces that have moved way beyond the keyboard and the mouse — the iPhone and Wii being the most prominent examples.
The truth is that we stand on the verge of a major revolution in the models of Human Computer Interaction (HCI). A revolution that will fly right past academic and into a world of retail, medical, gaming, military, public event, sporting, personal and marketing applications.
From multi-touch to motion capture to spatial operating environments, over the next 10 years, everything we know about HCI will change.
Blur is the only conference that is exploring the line of interaction between computers and humans in a substantive, real-world and hands-on way.
I’ll be presenting, “New Museum Experiences: Learning from Multitouch and Multiuser Installations” on February 22nd. I’ll also be on a panel that same afternoon talking about Kinect and our Open Exhibits module. You can learn more about the Blur conference on their website.
A GestureWorks application is helping the Onion News Network create “the most reliable news on television.” The Onion News Network, a new show from the popular satirical news source The Onion, debuts Friday using the multitouch Recon Wall media browsing application. Inside The Onion News Network
The Recon Wall is a custom-built GestureWorks application that allows Onion anchors to manipulate and draw on images or video in real-time. The app is featured on a 52″ NextWindow 2700 overlay. An inexpensive 2-point alternative to CNN’s $100,000+ touch wall, the NextWindow system, including LCD & software, cost around $5000.
You can view the Recon Wall throughout the video above (or zip ahead to 1:26 to see Tucker Hope using it). And be sure to tune into IFC at 10 EST (8 MST for our local friends) to watch the Onion News Network.
Or see more of the app functionality in this video:
We’re at CES for the first time this year, promoting GestureWorks and our new partnership with Touch Revolution. While we’ve attended many trade shows and conferences, CES is a spectacle unlike any we’ve seen before, and it seems appropriate that it takes place in Las Vegas.
A visitor manipulates a 3D molecule with our Molecule Viewer app
We’ve noticed 3D and touch are two of the year’s buzzwords, appearing everywhere at CES, so our multitouch 3D molecule viewer fits right in. Built specially for CES, the viewer allows you to manipulate a molecule in 3D space. Shown here on the TRū Touch Monitor, the molecule viewer is the most educationally focused application we’re showing this year. The app offers molecular structure and information for five of the active ingredients in Red Bull, which seemed appropriate for a tech conference.
Gene Halsey from Touch Revolution demos our X-ray app
Robots are also a big hit at this year’s CES, even if they just jitter and giggle. We haven’t gotten into robotics (yet), but you can see the X-ray insides of a toy robot with our X-ray viewer. The app allows you to switch from the visible view of an object to the X-ray view with a simple double tap, and was based on one of our most popular exhibits.
And, if you just want to play a game, there’s always Astrotouch, our multitouch version of Asteroids.
As we announced yesterday, we recently partnered with Touch Revolution to create a series of GestureWorks applications for their hardware demos. We’ve been lucky enough the past few weeks to get to play around with the new 21.5″ TRū Touch monitors, which Touch Revolution will be debuting at CES. The TRū Touch monitors are full HD (1920 x 1080), bezel-less, and, like these concept screens, you can tilt them to horizontal angles to make tasks like typing and drawing easier.
We’ve been testing our apps for CES on the TRū Touch, including an amazing gigapixel image viewer that allows you to zoom in close enough to see rock climbers on El Capitan in Yosemite and a 3D object viewer, but so far the hands-down favorite has been Astrotouch, our multitouch version of Asteroids.
The game has a series of old school-style arcade controls at the bottom, and we’ve been nothing but impressed with the screen’s responsiveness and accuracy. Some of the other hardware we had in-house had trouble with ghost points on the controls, but the TRū Touch screen handled it flawlessly every time.
Check out the video above for a sneak peek at the new Touch Revolution hardware, and be sure to visit us at CES. We’ll be at the Touch Revolution Booth, #21755, South Hall Lower Level with a full set of great multitouch applications on display and free gesture illustration posters to give away.
We’re hiring! Ideally we’re looking for someone with Flash/Flex experience who’s knowledgable and curious about art, science and history. Some graphic design or media production chops don’t hurt either, and non-profit or museum experience would be an added bonus. Still, we’re flexible and mainly looking for a good developer that works well in a team environment and doesn’t mind a fast-paced and rapidly changing workflow. Position includes benefits and the occasional awesome snack.
We recently completed a GestureWorks application for a CNN-esque multitouch newsroom application. We’re pretty psyched, as this is our first multitouch project for broadcast media.
We’re sworn to secrecy about the show, but we can say that the app will be featured on a 52″ NextWindow 2700 overlay. An inexpensive 2-point alternative to CNN’s $100,000+ touch wall, the NextWindow system, including LCD & software, cost around $5000. The custom software allows you to sort and display image and video collections, scrub video, and draw on top of images and video clips.
The show debuts in January 2011, so check back in a few months for the actual footage. In the mean time, you can watch us demo a version of the app on an HP Touchsmart 9100 in the video below:
