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Or TouchTable which is in use by gov't and numerous others...pretty cool stuff (played with it a few times myself). So nothing new, except may be networking two or more of them together, but I think they already did that.

And the researchers are talking about using the light blocking properties of your fingers to track 'fat finger movement' or some similar idea. Which means they haven't done any real homework. I don't know a lot about this stuff, and for what's on the market right now it sounds like these guys have a neat idea, but are going about it in a most amateur way.

Haven't people been using IR sensors for touch in tables and the like since the mid-90s? (maybe not these guys, but I remember reading the tech has been around for that long)

I'm not the original poster but I work at Northrop and have used one of the touch tables. I'm sure we would be quite happy to sell one to you if money was no object. However, our sales are usually government contracts. We might not sell just the table, but a whole system of which the table is a part. If you want just the table you might do better
here or contacting Applied Minds directly.

It is not made by Northrup. http://www.touchtable.com/ makes the products. Northrup only resells and integrates the tables for clients.

Got some information on the table.

Seems the table works using a product from ESRI called ArcGlobe and some Northrop Grumman ArcEngine code that controls the touch and the menu. It uses controls originally developed by a company called applied minds. System runs on windows. Seems like it has a lot of potential but as most windows users know - programs tend to crash at embarrassing moments.

In terms of potential, it really depends on what you are trying to do, but costing a couple of million dollars I would think you should have something really important to do. But, it could always be a nice expensive show piece for people who have stock options in a company and like to push it as something to use good tax funds for.

I wonder what other kinds of businesses and government entities use this thing and for what?

http://www.esri.com/news/arcnews/summer03articles/ introducing-arcglobe.html

http://www.touchtable.com/

The touch table was developed by Applied Minds, which then spun off Touch Table inc. Its been out since 2005 and uses different technology than Microsoft. Northrop Grumman is doing the software, integration, support, setup, delivery, etc., but didn't make the actual table.

This is very true, and it also seems slightly ridiculous that the 84" table has a lower resolution than the 45".

I can see why, though, after looking around a bit. On such a large table, if you're collaborating, you want to be able to see and read what's going on on the other side of the table. If it were more standard-sized pixels, a lot of people couldn't tell for the life of them what their comrade on the other side of the table is pointing at. Granted, ideally we'd have high (good-looking) resolution and just use large fonts and such, but why? It's cheaper to use bigger pixels and it wouldn't add much functionality to upgrade to 6400x4800.

You can see in the first picture in their (pdf) Brochure a dialog box on the table that is a good 12" wide. In order for people all around the table to see and read the window, it all but needs to be huge.

Video on their website seems to show it better.

Everyone keeps forgetting that TouchTable, Inc. already sells a 'multi-touch' table with a real application (that is actually being used!).

Yea this stuff has been around for years: http://www.touchtable.com/site/index.php http://www.ms.northropgrumman.com/touchtable/ http://www.military.com/soldiertech/0,14632,Soldie rtech_TouchTable,,00.html http://www.merl.com/projects/DiamondTouch/ The Mitsubishi one can recognize multiple users. I've used it and it's pretty cool. Touch tables are nothing new but it would be cool to see Microsoft start marketing this to consumers.

And even more...Touch Table by Applied Minds

The TouchTable is being built for Northrop Grumman, who is attempting to market it to the Army for mapping applications. Its neat, but only as neat as its software, which has to be more or less custom developed.