During the Surface workout Isobel demonstrated the magic of Microsoft Surface. The one feature of Microsoft Surface that Bel didn’t touch on was object recognition. Yet object recognition is one of the features of Microsoft Surface that really excites me. The five cameras inside the unit can recognise objects placed on the surface based on shapes or special codes such as domino tags. Recognising an object can trigger a specific digital response.
The Tesco Wine application recently showcased at the Tesco London and Bristol Wine Club Fair events demonstrates object recognition. The wine coaster is tagged so the enthusiasts can immerse themselves by having direct control of data such as winemaker’s notes, suggested food pairings, information on the vineyard etc The table turns from a bar in to a rich immersive experience where the enthusiasts can explore content though touch and natural gestures.
Bel was more interested in playing with photos of her favourite Cbeebies characters than discovering the vinification process for a New Zealand Syrah so I left her to it. However, object recognition lends itself so well to child development. Children learn through sight, sound, smell, taste and touch and it’s important to encourage sensory activities. Sensory play aids sensory development. Without object recognition Microsoft Surface falls short of a full sensory experience. But by blending virtual and real worlds we can create a sensory environment.
Imagine an educational game where Isobel is asked to select a fruit beginning with the letter 'A'. With previous technologies we would immediately think of a virtual fruit bowl where the user clicks on the correct fruit. With Microsoft Surface Bel could move or spin the apple using natural gestures but this still isn’t going to stimulate her sense of touch as Surface cannot register textures, temperature etc.
But what if Bel picked up a ‘real’ apple from a fruit bowl and by placing the apple on the surface the camera recognises it and unlocks rich educational content such as a video of how apples grow or an animation showing the nutritional value of apples.
Sensory deprivation is an ailment of the advancement of technology. Children need a balanced multi-sensory diet yet technology can be guilty of neglecting the senses. This simplistic example illustrates how object recognition can blend the rich digital content with real physical objects to allow technology to enhance a sensory environment.
Microsoft isn’t the only one developing multi-touch tables. I am excited about SmartTechs SMART Table as it offers great educational opportunities and SMART technologies are specifically targeting school children and classrooms. This multi-touch table is scheduled for launch in Spring 2009 so it will be interesting to see how it stands up against Microsoft Surface. The unit is reported to cost around $3,500 less than Microsoft Surface, and will come with a complete suite of educational software.
Their Media Release introduces the features of the SMART table. The one feature missing from this interactive table is object recognition. However the far cheaper entry price makes it more affordable for cash-strapped schools. Hopefully SMART Technologies will develop object recognition to really unleash the potential and help define a new era of interactive learning centres.
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