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Build Challenge - Touch Coffee Table Computer

Former Member

Forgive me if this has already been discussed.

 

So how about a touch screen coffee table computer or a standing console or something?

I remember seeing something on the net about it might be able to utilize an IR camera and IR LED's lining the edges of the touch surface and a projector or something.

-Maybe build USB/ Audio header ports to the side or top and include a wireless card for networking.

-Could also incorporate a way to control TV and audio devices through computer and IR link ( a little overkill)

 

I know this isn't a new project, but I have not seen a well put together project (other than M$ Surface) and I think Ben could make this thing function and look awesome.

 

Any takers?

  • Sorry but I don't think building a "good looking box with screen and some other stuff" isn't that challenging... more than a half of the project is really about how you configure your OS to look nice and behave right with the table you build.

     

    But of course I have to admit that it would be interesting to see what Ben makes out of it, I just feel it's not a very good challenge, it need's something more..

     

    maybe if you would have to do it hiding the powercable so that the table seems like a wireless (ahem. like a normal table) and the table would have to be moveable as well,

    so you could have it in the middle of the room without seeing any power sources. Ben would have to hide something like induction charger under the carpet/floor or figure out some other way to power it (I think the induction charging probably is out of the question because of the amount of power the table would need, not sure tough!)

     

    Sure you could just hide the power cable to one of the legs and then add power socket to the middle of the room, you could just place the table over the power socket it and it would look nice, as long as you wouldn't move it. Maybe you could do this with some sort of battery backup and induction charging.. I don't know

     

    but I think the challenge definitely needs something more

  • in reply to Former Member

    The power cord will always be a problem with a coffee table. how about a hacked roomba autonomous vehicle which automatically rolls the battery pack over to a charging station?

  • in reply to Former Member

    haha that would be hilarious, maybe it could also fetch you a cold beer?

  • in reply to Former Member

    Has Ben already been challenged to build a beer-fetching robot? I can't believe he hasn't. If not, we've gotta put it out there.

  • in reply to Former Member

    It's actually quite a bit harder than just putting a screen under a sheet of glass.

    To get touch information, there needs to be somthing either on top of the screen, or behind it.

     

    Front based touch (capacitive or resistive) requires  some sort of special purpose hardware, which is hard to hack together,  and has to be perfectly transparent (obviosly. it's infornt of the  screen).

     

    Rear based touch is usually done by  illuminating the points you are trying to track, and then capturing the  light (usually IR) with a camera behind the screen. This presents two  problems: How to light the fingers only when they touch the surface, and  how to make sure that the screen doesn't either block the IR light or  create interfering IR light.

     

    To illuminate the fingers,  a side illuminated acrylic sheet is used for Frustrated Total Internal  Reflection (FTIR) and a special layer called the "compliant surface" to  make the presure points solid spots instead of thin, low surface area  fingerprints.

    For the screen, two main methods are used: A projector combined  with a projection surface that does not reflect of block IR light, or an  LCD screen with the backlight and case removed so that it is only the  translucent image portion of the display (which apperently does not  usually mess with IR). If an LCD is used, an alternative source of light  must be provided to replace the LCD's original backlight. Plasma And  OLED cannot be used because these technologies are inherently  non-translucent.

     

    I think this is a great challenge and definately have it on my wishlist of projects I hope to do some time. If you want more information, check out nuigroup.com for the largest resource and community for these kinds of displays.

  • in reply to Former Member

    it may have been done by them but their idea is incomplete

    the touch screen is like paper and when you interact with it like in the video it crackles and i'd like to interact with glass like on my android phone i've been wondering though if you put like the inverted screen on the bottom of the glass so you can see your projection could the camera still see the infrared on the glass ontop when you touch it?

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VNTPwVvLzE

     

    these guys kinda perfected it but who wants a bent computer screen? we want a table to use and it be able to sense like when your coffee is there i might even add a thermal sensor to it to sence what temprature your food is and display it on top of it! that'd be awesome