Microsoft Corp. has announced since last year that it will begin to license its research technology to start-up companies, and it will follow through with its strategy, as Microsoft is right on track to licensing TouchLight to Eon Reality, an Irvine, Calif.-based company. The license refers to the development of 3D image manipulation technology. The financial details of the collaboration were not disclosed, but the Redmond Company will not be getting an equity stake in Eon. Furthermore Eon will have to make licensing payments only from the sales of products based on TouchLight technology.

Users will be able to interact actively with the images via a touch sensitive navigation interface, changing the perspective, tilt and pan of a picture with hand motions. The technology will require no additional devices except the 3D display and the user's hands. Eon announced that it plans to release this technology to business environments in the span of two years while implementing solutions to bring down the costs in order for TouchLight to find its way onto home desktops.

Eon Company has to reach certain milestones in order to perpetuate its ownership of the license, while the agreement signed offers Microsoft a little more elbow room. The Redmond Company has the liberty to further license the technology to other companies and even to use it in in-house projects.