Microsoft's Applied Sciences R&D team has followed up its brilliant tabletop Surface display with another visualization technology of the future called Wedge. Just like the sci-fi movie Minority Report, it reacts to your gestures, and can even recognize your face. And with that information it does miraculous things.
According to Microsoft:
"In the future, display technology will move towards being an interactive window on the digital world, where the display will know who and where the user is, present content that is context aware, and allow natural interactions with the display surface. In order to achieve this increased functionality the Microsoft Applied Sciences is developing imaging light-guide technology which allows cameras and steerable light sources to be multiplexed with displays."
Imagine a 3D display that doesn't require glasses, that lets you watch a different program from the person sitting right next to you. For instance, you could be watching violent action movies while your kids sitting next to you watch Disney movies. In a car, the driver could see GPS screen while the passenger watched a movie. Or, you could play Gears of War 5 against an opponent sitting next to you, and both of you could use the full screen.
Beyond that, this flat lens technology detects your movements, sensing whether you're moving close to it, and it can track the exact position of your eyes, optimizing its associated display for your precise location. Using that information, its "image steering" tech can aim beams of light directly at your eyes, and send separate signals toward the eyes of others in the room.
While Microsoft has Wedge prototypes working now, the image quality is described as "kinda rough," and the high quality plastic displays are still quite heavy. The Applied Sciences team isn't saying when the technology will be available for consumers. So is this the screen from Brave New World — the one that watches you?
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