3-D prototype technology: user's hands over screen

In the TED conference which took place recently, officials and gathering has  got a look over the  advanced and more futuristic device called Space Top, this device interfaces virtual and reality. In this device the users can view a 3-D workspace through a transparent display, manipulating the on-screen elements with their bare hands. It won't be on shelves any time soon, but it does matches with the imagination.

There were few demonstrations by different people, among them  Jinha Lee, an MIT graduate student who undertook an internship at Microsoft's Applied Science group to develop a 3-D desktop. Part of that project was indeed trying to create a new methodology for users to interact with PC.
Mouse and touchscreens are most important input devices which is used for getting users information, and it lets users to  interact along two dimensions — you can scroll left, right, up, and down, but going in and out must be done with 2-D gestures like pinches, whereas in real life you would just move your hand forward or back.

Lee's work is mainly on the creation of an interface through which user could move one's hand naturally and interact with familiar elements like windows and documents. But this work is on the way , it is expected to be completed soon.

There are totally two cameras on the system out of which the transparent display is equipped with a camera that tracks the user's head and adjusts the perspective on the 3-D desktop "under" it. whereas, a second camera watches the user's hands and determines their position in three dimensions.

Few demo applications are still on its limitation, upcoming models are being made. It is fascinating and most exciting to watch: Grabbing a file from a stack is made much easier just like plucking it out, for creating , editing word document and for typing the text  user should just drop hands onto the built-in keyboard. Every operating system with which an average user might be familiar is built around the idea of a flat display navigated by a mouse or touch screen.  So Lee's had to be built from scratch.