Innovation of the week: Transform any tabletop into a giant tablet computer

We're not far from the day when any tabletop could be transformed into a giant tablet computer, said Nick Statt at The Verge. At Austin's South by Southwest Interactive Festival in March, Sony's R&D division unveiled a projector that uses depth sensors and motion tracking to turn any flat surface into an interactive touch screen. The "Interactive Tabletop" can also recognize what's placed on it.

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In one demonstration, Sony used the device to bring an open copy of Alice in Wonderland to life, turning the illustrations into animations that could be dragged off the page and placed anywhere on the table. The projector is still just a prototype, but it's easy to imagine the device eventually being used as an educational tool, turning books into interactive lessons. It could also be a step toward the "hologram-based tech we see in movies."