Nokia built a multi-touch ice-wall, just don?t use your tongue [TNW Europe]

Leave it to the Finns. Just when you thought there wasn?t anything else you could do with ice, here comes a use right out of Harry Potter: a multi-touch ice screen.

Mobile giant Nokia decided that ? since Finland has a tradition of ice sculpuring anyway ? why not make an interactive touch ice wall. Really, why not?

Built out of a slab of 25cm ice weighing a ton, and then cut into 50cm to build the 2 meter by 1.5 meter wall. Nokia then polished the surface with a heat gun to give it a smooth surface. The wall uses rear-diffused illumination (the same tech used by the Microsoft Surface) which is basically a smart projection, instead of embedding sensors. According to New Scientist which first reported the ice wall:

A near-infrared light source mounted behind the ?screen? bathes it in invisible light, and an array of near-infrared cameras, also behind the wall, are focused on the front surface. A hand placed on the ice reflects the light towards the camera array and the signal each camera receives helps a nearby PC establish the hand?s position, size and motion. The PC is also connected to a projector, which uses the data to project imagery ? such as flames ? beneath the user?s hand.

Of course, one of Nokia?s first suggestions for using this new tech is for the famous Ice Hotel in Sweden ? now that would be something.

Powered by WizardRSS | Best Membership Software

Source: http://thenextweb.com/eu/2010/11/20/nokia-built-a-multi-touch-ice-wall-just-dont-use-your-tongue/

fracking applebees veterans day how old is loretta lynn