Researchers from five different countries, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, France and the UK have teamed up and have developed a technology called Tai-Chi (Tangible Acoustic Interfaces for Computer Human Interaction) that can make any system interactive.
The technology uses two or more Acoustic sensors that are attached to the edges of the surface. These pinpoint the position of the finger or other touching objects such as a stylus and track the minute vibrations to create a virtual touchpad or a keyboard on any table or a wall.
The main advantage of the product will be its use in making any large surface area an interactive one without spending too much on the setup. Tai-Chi uses small piezoelectric sensors to sense the vibrations. These sensors are then connected to a desktop with a full load of software developed by the team.
The technology also finds some use in workplaces such as hospitals where hygiene is of prime importance and conventional keyboards can house many infections.
Via: makezine
