Sunny Cheng

CollabSurface

We live in an age where we are currently witnessing a paradigm shift in the field of Human Computer interfaces. Much like the command line interface so many years ago transitioned into the more accessible GUI, today we are seeing a change from the GUI to the NUI, or natural user interface. Represented by touch devices and new age technologies like the Kinect and Microsoft Surface, the NUI seems to be the future of computer input.

My project, CollabSurface, aims to take advantage of the many capabilities of the Microsoft Surface and give something to developers that will facilitate the development of interactive tools for the device. Despite having so much potential, the Microsoft Surface has mainly been relegated as a device that is used for its graphical capabilities; Games, maps, social networks have been a big target for Surface developers. By giving the developers more tools to create apps that promote the business and learning aspect of the Surface, I will try to grow the market for multi-touch and multi-user applications. While more distinct details will be fleshed out as progress is made, there are 4 major controls that I plan on creating for developers that will hopefully make their lives easier when developing for the Surface.