Search Results for: MTmini

What’s a Multitouch Mini (MTmini)?

A Multitouch Mini, MTmini for short, is a cheap, small, portable multitouch pad. It can be used as a multitouch pad for: drawing, OS navigation, multitouch operation, games, entertainment, experimentation, and more. I created the Multitouch Mini to show people how something that seems complicated or ‘magical’ can be made simply and at low cost.

The MTmini uses the “Front Diffused Illumination” multitouch technique, with normal ambient light (infrared not required or needed) and a normal off-the-shelf webcam (IR filter can still be in place). The MTmini technique is the first step in creating a full multitouch display.

Parts List

• Box (ie. Cardboard, Plastic, etc)
• Piece of Clear, Flat Sturdy Material (ie.

What’s a Multitouch Biggie (MTbiggie)?

A Multitouch Biggie, MTbiggie for short, is a low-cost multitouch table. It can be used for a variety of purposes including: drawing, OS navigation, games, entertainment and more.

I created the Multitouch Biggie to show people how something that seems complicated or ‘magical’ can be made simply and at low cost.

The MTbiggie uses the “Front Diffused Illumination” multitouch technique, with ambient infrared light and a DIY infrared webcam. The MTbiggie is similar to the MTmini, but includes a projected image and infrared webcam (rather than a normal webcam).

The MTbiggie isn’t the most stable and robust setup, but it is the easiest to build. To see other methods of building

In Front DI, infrared light is shined at the screen from above the touch surface. A diffuser is placed on top (preferred) or on bottom of the touch surface.  When a finger or object touches the surface, a shadow is created under the object and seen by an infrared camera below the surface. This method is what the MTmini uses, but without the need for infrared light (since there is no visual display to remove). The MTbiggie also uses this technique. An image is displayed by using a projector connected to a computer pointed towards the projection material.

Parts List

• Clear, Sturdy Surface (Glass, Acrylic, Polycarbonate, Plexiglas, etc.)
• Infrared Lighting (The Sun, Infrared LEDs, Infrared Illuminator, Ambient Light/Lamps, etc.)
• Diffuser/Projection

Overview

Community Core Vision (CCV for short) is the software used to build multitouch surfaces,the MTmini and the MTbiggie.

CCV, is an open-source computer vision framework for multitouch and other emerging interaction types. I co-founded and developed CCV for Google Summer of Code in 2008. It has since been downloaded over 250,000 times and utilized by companies, researchers, and hobbyists around the world. Community Core Vision is currently maintained by the NUI Group community.

System Requirements

• Hardware:
  • Pentium 4+ (Recommended Core 2 Duo+)
  • 512MB+ RAM (Recommended 1024+)
  • Web Camera (for live interaction)

• Software:
  • Windows:
    • Quicktime
    • VS2005 Redist x86
  • Mac:
    • Quicktime
  • Linux:
    • libpoco

CCV Download Link

• Main Website: http://ccv.nuigroup.com
• Alternative Link 1: http://nuicode.com/projects/ccv/files
• Alternative Links 2

[download id=”3926″]

[download

For testing and fun, several demo and complete applications can be downloaded in flash (swf) format. The following guide shows how to run the applications using your touch surface and Community Core Vision.

Requirements

• Flash Player Projector – This is a flash player that runs outside of your browser
• FLOSC (CCV 1.1 and below only)
• Java 6+ is required for running FLOSC (CCV 1.1 and below only)

Flash Demo Application Setup

1. Download some flash demos. You can find the nuigroup (MTmini video) flash example clients here and some of my own applications here.

• If you’re using CCV 1.2+, skip to step 4.
• If you use an older version of CCV,version 1.1 or below, and

In order to track fingers or objects, CCV first needs to be configured. The goal is to have a final tracked image that has white blobs coming from fingers or objects placed on the touch surface (with no background noise or false blobs visible or tracked). In order to reach this goal, various image filter sliders are adjusted. By following the steps below, a final tracked image with clear and distinct blobs should be achievable (like the one you see on the picture below). The default settings may not be ideal, and I advise you to play with each slider to understand how it works.

CCV Diagram Overview

1. Source image – Displays the raw video image from either camera or