Finally!

I'm happy to report that my 54" diagonal multitouch is working beautifully. I'll be posting a video soon. What I'm really excited about is the software, which I coded from scratch in C++. It's doing some very interesting things that I can't wait to show off. Sorry for being so cryptic... but I want the video to say it all :)

update

So it's been a while... shame on me. Anyway I'm knee deep in my current LLP setup. I'm using a modified CCV build based on rev176 and all is well. My photo app is coming along nicely... so far it supports the standard move,rotate,scale as well as flicking and velocity. Photos can also be turned over and written on... complete with a hand-writing smoothing algorithm. Photos and videos to come soon :)

Where i've been

I about to finish my first year of teaching, which is why I haven't posted regularly in a long time. I still work on multitouch, but my time is significantly reduced.

I do have a new LLP setup in the works though, just working on my custom tracker. Hopefully I will post some videos in the coming weeks, as my summer begins :)

I'm callin' it...

Let it be known I will be the first multitouch related blog to call the 2008 presidential election. Based on the Mikeytech poll of polls, I call the election for Barack Obama. Woop!!!

Still alive

I've been very busy over the holidays, hence the lack of updates. I hope to begin work again on my multitouch cabinet soon.

finished screen

I finished my projection screen. It was a very messy endeavor, but I'm pleased with the results. The screen is composed of a front layer of rosco grey rear projection screen adhered to a piece of 1/4" acrylic. The image really looks great, the images below don't do them justice. Anyways, that's all for today I think... no more updates until I get all the parts in to make my new lights.

Say Cheese!

I've been testing out the Canon SDK for an powershot model I have and I finally got it to work! I made a simple console app that starts the sdk, connects to the camera, and then takes a pictures and saves it to the computer. Not bad for a few hours of shuffling through documentation ;) How this works into my multitouch project... that's my secret for now!

In other news, I made the final screen for my multitouch box using the glue method I previously described. I'll admit, it was much more challenging than I initially thought, simply because of the size. I ended up diluting the glue to a thin consistency and then spraying it on the acrylic. I then used a large squeegee to get all the excess glue and air out from under the rosco grey. Overall, the screen looks great. I should be able to get it reinstalled into the big box so I can test the image quality.

Out

I'll be in the garage for the next few days! See-ya Blogosphere :)

Photo update

In my last post I alluded to my current project, which is a big multitouch box. Here's a picture of what it looks like (with one of the side panels off). I was doing a projection test with a DVD of the movie Robots.





So anyways, nothing that impressive yet. I had trouble getting the rosco to stretch tight over my acrylic, so I had to figure out a way to adhere it to the surface. I tried various spray adhesives from 3M and I found that while many offer a strong bond, they all leave a visible texture.

I came up with a solution that seems to work quite well. Naturally, it was the most simplistic solution smile The secret adhesive is… dun dun dun… Elmer’s glue. That’s right… the white stuff we got all over our hands and clothes in grade-school.

I diluted some white glue with hot water so it was thin enough to be brushed onto the acrylic. The trick is to work with the rosco as if you are applying some window film. Apply a liberal amount of glue to the acrylic and then lay down the rosco starting from one end (try to minimize air pockets). Next, wet the surface (you don’t have to do this… but just to be nice to the rosco you should) and squeegee the air pockets out. I let mine dry for a few hours and it left me with a perfectly flat rosco/acrylic combo. Projecting onto it, there is no visible pattern or texture like I had with various brands of spray glue.

If this experience has taught me anything… it is to always try the low-tech solution first. That's all for now... more updates to come since I have this next week off from school!

Still Alive!

Here's what I have been up to lately.

I've moved on to building a larger, more polished prototype. I am creating a mobile multitouch "wall" that measures approx 6' tall, 64" wide, 30" deep. The actual screen area will be roughly 54"x32".

So far construction is going well. I'll post pictures as soon as I can!