Pico Projector Adapts To New Surfaces, Uses Random Objects As Input Devices

jpwilliams writes "This tiny projector can use any surface you have on hand to project an image. Using a webcam, it adapts to the surface, not just by adjusting keystone, but also following that surface and displaying different amounts of information (in certain cases). The guy in the video also uses a coffee mug as an app changer."

Comments

Pico

[Hatta]

Does it work with pine too?

Re:Display information

[noh8rz2]

Of course it can. It's a pico projector.

Re:Display information

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, but can it project different amounts of information onto my dick?

I'm sorry, I've watched the video and I suspect that it wouldn't be able to detect an object that small.

Customisable Controls?

[Fluffeh]

Okay, so switching the display by rotating a coffee cup or bottle is nifty, but could get annoying when any movement at a board presentation switches things around. I am much more interested in seeing if the input commands are able to be modified and changed around.

Re:Customisable Controls?

[Tumbleweed]

Okay, so switching the display by rotating a coffee cup or bottle is nifty, but could get annoying when any movement at a board presentation switches things around. I am much more interested in seeing if the input commands are able to be modified and changed around.

Dude, just hold down the shift key. geez.

Re:Customisable Controls?

[TheCouchPotatoFamine]

i think what the mug rotation shows is that they can associate real items with virtual ones. That's more impressive then the (relatively cheap) projector . with a top down projector, they could not only avoid projecting on /you/, but they could associate real sticky notes with virtual ones! I can think of some cool uses of that kind of rapid, free association of information you could do with it, like reading a book cover to prin a summary next to it. It's all about pointing the projector down, not sideways :)

Re:Customisable Controls?

[Fluffeh]

I think what the mug rotation shows is that they can associate real items with virtual ones.

That's not quite the message that I walked away with. It looked as if rotating a mug (and later a bottle) simply switched the information being displayed. If rotating the mug had rotated a single object within the frame, I think it would be more interesting - such as manipulating common objects to manipulate individual models in a 3D app for example. What I saw seemed to imply that "look for something being rotated" translated to "ALT-TAB" for the environment.

The idea of a top down projector is interesting, somewhat similar to that microsoft "desk" thing that I kept hearing (the one where your entire table was actually part of the PC desktop and moving documents around interacted with what was actually on your screen) about for a while, then it tapered off.

Unless I am mistaken, this seems to be a (granted, novel and interesting) but simple business application similar to either a Kinect or whatever the Playstation equivalent was which also used a webcam from memory. I would be more impressed if someone put together an API (extra points for open sourcing it) to allow a PC and or presentation to be properly and intuitively controlled with a kinect-like controller.