Oct 5, 2010 10:33 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft’s exploration of natural user interfaces (NUI) hasn’t by any means stopped with products such as Windows 7 or the Surface tabletop computer. An illustrative example in this regard is Microsoft LightSpace. As you will be able to see in the video embedded at the bottom of this screen, the Redmond company is flirting with a number of interesting concepts, including augmented reality, ubiquitous computing, and surface computing.

Microsoft LightSpace makes possible fully interactive spaces by combining depth cameras and projectors in order to enable users to interact with virtual objects seamlessly in the context of 3D real world coordinates.

Essentially, rooms become computing spaces where every surface is interactive with the help of a complex NUI designed to allow users to leverage nothing more than natural gestures in order to control items in their virtual environment.

“With LightSpace, you can manipulate virtual objects, moving them from one surface to another simply by touching two surfaces,” revealed Microsoft’s Steve Clayton.

“You can even “pick up” a virtual object, walk to the other side of the room, and then place it on another screen or surface.”

And if you’re thinking that LightSpace is years away, you are very wrong. Fact is that the Redmond company already has not just NUI prototypes being developed by Microsoft Research, but actual products commercially available to customers.

Microsoft Surfacehas been released years ago, and the software giant reinvented game interaction with Kinect for Xbox 360, which also leverages depth cameras.

LightSpace might in fact be closer than anyone thinks, as are additional NUI interaction models taking advantage of the user’s touch, face and voice recognition, movement sensors, our location, context, etc.

“Imagine boardroom Post-It note exercises becoming completely digital, or in classrooms, students working in teams around a table and then “carrying” their virtual document to the front of the classroom to present,” Clayton added.

“Fashion editors could piece together a magazine from virtual “mood boards” spanning tables and walls and easily make last-minute changes before their print runs.

“On the coffee table at home you could be reading a digital book and as you touch images on the page, another surface shows related information and videos.

“It’s exciting to think about the impact this could potentially have on the way we work and live, and even more exciting to think that this is only one of many advancements that are part of the emerging trend of Natural User Interfaces, or NUI.”