Using Multitouch Tables and Tablets Together

If you've watched the Microsoft future videos that I have blogged about a few times (here, here, and here) you'll notice the use of multitouch tablets in conjunction with multitouch tables and walls.

In thinking about how to implement multi-user productivity applications in multitouch its becoming clear to me that you need touch tablets to augment the multi-touch table or wall experience so that every participant can work in concert and independently with the same view. This is a concept that is explained pretty well in the video below which shows research on multi-display technologies used in concert with a multitouch table (fast forward to 2 minutes and 24 seconds to see the tablet part).



This is not only true of productivity applications; multi-player games would also benefit.

I've also been thinking about how multi-touch tables might find a place in the home gaming and leisure computer market (see my post on the R.U.S.E game). It seems to be me that many games would benefit if the each participant could use a peripheral touch tablet in addition to a shared multi-touch table. For example, imagine a role playing game (e.g. Dungeons & Dragons) implemented on a multi-touch table. Each player could have a shared view of the dungeon map on the table, but they could also manage their own characters on a personal tablet. The is true of many table games such as Scrabble, Monopoly, poker, and so on.

To make a really compelling multi-user, multi-touch table or wall for the home or office, you will need to include light-weight tablets as peripherals - one for each participant. These light-weight tablets (I'll call them "touch paddles") don't need to be that powerful, they just need to be able to sync up with the table. In fact, the table could do all the processing for the touch paddles. The touch paddles would only be touch sensitive screens. This is probably the most likely scenario in the short term as its the least expensive.

As tablet computers and eBooks and touch screen mobile phones become more common it will be possible to support users personal devices as peripherals rather than requiring everyone to use the touch paddles shipped with the table.

No matter how you slice it, collaborative multitouch table and wall applications are going to need peripherals to allow everyone to be productive. Sharing the same surface is great in some cases, but in many others its better to have your own personal multitouch surface as well. Just look at any meeting at work where everyone has their own notepad but ideas are shared on a whiteboard.