Siu Han, Taipei; Rodney Chan, DIGITIMES [Friday 2 November 2007]
Researchers from the National Taiwan University have unveiled a rear-projection, interactive, dual-resolution tabletop system, the i-m-Top, which can turn the top of a desk into a 120×80cm touchscreen display.
According to researchers from the university's Graduate Institute of Networking and Multimedia, the system makes use of infrared sensors to trace the motions of the user's hands to provide interactive functions.
It runs with two rear projectors, one for blanket coverage of the entire tabletop, and the other for high-resolution detail.
Yi-Ping Hung, director of the graduate institute, said the i-m-Top system offers a cheaper touch screen alternative making use optical imaging technology. The i-m-Top, which has taken four years to develop, targets professional workshops and high-level executives, Hung said.
With the production cost of an i-m-Top unit over NT$100,000 (US$3,083.75), Hung said the institute may team up with computer or display makers to commercialize the system. Volume production may begin six months from now, and in the long run its production costs may come close to those of PCs, Hung said.
The i-m-Top system
Photo: Siu Han, Digitimes
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