LuminAR, a new system that turns any surface into a touch screen

MIT Media Lab researchers (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, EU) have developed LuminAR, a system that replaces the light bulb in a lamp with a much more advanced and complicated system that turns any surface into an interactive touch screen. The system projects interactive images onto the surface and is capable of detecting when a person's finger touches objects within the projected images..

Nathan Linder, a student of MIT Media Lab, believed to be a fit on the inside of a light bulb socket, along with a camera and a projector, could provide a revolutionary new type of interface turning any table or desk into a simple touch screen. The LuminAR device, created by Linder and his Media Lab colleagues, can project interactive images onto a surface, detecting when a person's finger or hand points to an element within those images. Linder describes LuminAR as an augmented reality system, because projection images and interfaces can alter the function of a surface or object.

Linder's system uses a camera, a projector, and software to recognize objects and images projected on or around them, and also to function as a scanner. Connects to the Internet via Wi-Fi. Some capabilities of the prototype, like object recognition, They rely in part on software running on a remote cloud server.

LuminAR could be used to create an additional display on a surface, perhaps to display information related to a task at hand. Can also be used to take a photo of an object, of printed documents, such as a magazine. A user can email that photo to a contact by interacting with the LuminAR projected interface.

Practical applications

“I'm very excited about how it could be used by engineers and designers.”, Linder has pointed out, which he believes could be useful for any creative profession that often involves working with paper and other tangible objects, as well as computers.

LuminAR could have uses beyond the desktop or office environment. A demonstration to illustrate the use of one of these devices includes a mockup of an electronics store, where the device projects price tags next to the cameras on a table, as well as buttons that could be used to access more information about the product. Linder has also tried using it for Skype-style video calls, with a video projection of the caller on the wall next to the desk where the floor lamp is located.

The prototype is built around a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, Commonly used on smartphones and tablets. Linder and his colleagues are experimenting with a custom operating system based on Linux and a modified version of Google's Android mobile operating system.. Early LuminAR prototypes included a motorized arm for the lamp, but researchers are currently focusing on the version with only the lamp socket. That design reduces costs and complexity, and also makes the technology easier to adopt, Linder assures. “Has zero adoption cost. You just have to change the lamp bulb”.

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