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Forum Challenge: Building a Custom Multi-Touch Display
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Challenge: Building a Custom Multi-Touch Display

e14 Contributor
e14 Contributor over 14 years ago

While I would love for Ben to Attempt to build this and thus show me how to do so, I will also accept all help offered.

 

I have recently been given a challenge of my own to build.  A Star Trek Inspired Computer Desk.  While I have all the Computer Internals worked out for the most part on Paper, I have run into a snag that if overcome would make the desk truly out of Star Trek.  That happens to be the Keyboard and Mouse.  I would like to make them Part of the desktop. 

 

Here is what I mean:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v634/tdata/StarTrekDeskMk1_Desktop.png

 

Using A LightBox design that I have used for a while, I would like to have both the Areas outlined in Red and Blue be multi-touch Displays.  Why?  I want to be able to be able to Switch the Red sector to switch between a few screens, with Buttons that actually function for certain applications, and a standard Keyboard.  The Blue sector would just become a touch interface that reacts as though it were a trackpad when the Keyboard is the active Red sector.  Screens with touch capabilities are the only way I can seem to come up with.  I plan on using little beeps as the feedback, just like in the shows.

 

For reference, the keyboard area is 2' x 7" and the mouse area is 11"x 7".  The rest of it might just be a lightbox with a momentary button to change the red sector's mode.

 

Can this be done?  Do you have a better way?

 

I thought I would show the desk in its current stage:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v634/tdata/STDesk2-1.png

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  • colecago
    colecago over 14 years ago

    I think the best way to do this, would be to do one of those back projection/webcam touch interfaces.  As you are using a lightbox, you can have the light not be directly behind the box and instead reflect it and use a webcam behind the box to read fingers, look at this

    http://sethsandler.com/multitouch/

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  • e14 Contributor
    e14 Contributor over 14 years ago in reply to colecago

    While the IR would be rather easy to do, relatively speaking, I doubt there is enough room within the desktop to house a projector. 

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  • e14 Contributor
    e14 Contributor over 14 years ago in reply to e14 Contributor

    as you have two supports, if you have enough for 2 projectors or one with a 2 axis keystone you could set them up in the support and use a mirror to reflect the image onto the surface

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  • colecago
    colecago over 14 years ago in reply to e14 Contributor

    You wouldn't need a projector, that is only to display your own images.  You are using a "light box" with images that are printed into the glass/plastic and then backlit.

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  • e14 Contributor
    e14 Contributor over 14 years ago in reply to colecago

    I would need something to show a Keyboard when I want it, and an assortment of other things when I don't.  The rest of it would just need to be a light box. 

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  • colecago
    colecago over 14 years ago in reply to e14 Contributor

    Okay, didn't know you wanted dynamic content.  You could use a combination of lightboxes and standard touchscreen monitors with bezels removed.  Also, pico projectors are not that large, and the fact that you can put them somewhere else and use mirrors kind of opens things up a bit.

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  • rodreig89kishore
    rodreig89kishore over 12 years ago

    Dude great work. image

    I myself was trying to replicate a multi screen touch pad by connecting it together.

    I looked at the costs it was staggering alone for 3 screen when i wanted 3*3 screen wide touch screen.

    I run a lot of applications on my laptop and my work is inventive and expansive and i need multiple screens to work simultaneously.
    if your project goes well do explain me the mechanism.
    If it fits my way of work then I be happy to purchase one when i get the money too.lol image

    TC

    P. KISHORE KUMAR

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