|
|
Cubit: the open-source Surface
Author: Gareth HalfacreePublished: 6th May 2008
The Cubit device can be entirely home-built, or made from a kit provided by the designers.
The guys over at TechnologyReview have unveiled an attempt by engineers at New York art and technology centre Eyebeam to develop a Surface-like system for as little as £500.
The driving force behind the project was, according to Eyebeam fellow Addie Wagenknecht, a desire to “prove that anyone could build [a multitouch table] if they had a few simple things. The team have made all the software and schematics required to build your own Cubit available under an open-source license, and it's not as tricky as you might think.
The table works via a single webcam – modified to replace the infra-red filter with a visible-light filter – and a cheap projector to throw the image onto the transparent surface. Add in a few infra-red LEDs and the provided software, and you've got yourself a multi-touch coffee table.
It's a cool technology, and with the entry price so low it's something that I could well imagine having a play around with myself – in my copious free time, of course. The software and schematics for having a go are available at the official Cubit site, although at the time of writing the site has been nerfed by heavy traffic caused by articles elsewhere.
A fancy device you could see yourself building, or are you still not convinced at the requirement for a multi-touch interface on a table-top? Share your thoughts over in the forums.
Related articles on bit-tech.net
Comments (6)- Email to Friend
Stats: 0.145 seconds