Hands on: library tries multitouch technology

VISITORS TO the National Library this week got their first glance of Microsoft’s new revolutionary multitouch Surface technology but the company’s Irish managing director, Paul Rellis, promises it won’t be the last.

Microsoft Surface uses cameras and image-recognition to recognise different types of objects such as fingers, tagged items and shapes. This input is then processed by the computer and the resulting interaction displayed using rear projection.

The interactive touch-sensitive screen enables users to “grab” digital content with their hands and move information with simple gestures, rather than with a keyboard and mouse, making it more natural and interactive.

The technology was unveiled on Wednesday at the opening of an exhibition of rare artefacts at the National Library. The interactive Surface “discovery table” built on Microsoft’s Silverlight platform is at the heart of the exhibit, allowing visitors to view images of objects in great detail and to play with them.

"Technology can bring science and engineering together with culture and this is what we sought to achieve here," Mr Rellis told The Irish Times.

“The technology we have used for the exhibition allows visitors to really engage with artefacts. Visitors can see the actual size of documents and even flip pages.”

Schoolchildren were impressed, with one referring to the technology as “a giant iPhone”.

“It won’t be long before you see this technology being used in the retail space and the hospitality sector, as well as in libraries, museums and galleries,” said Mr Rellis.