Microsoft recently released the Touchless SDK open source multi-touch application framework. This technology allows to developers possibility of building multi-touch applications using a webcam and a color marker. The Touchless SDK can be used for developing part or full applications or games.

The Touchless multi-touch is simple – utilizing the webcam, applications can track the location and size of the color marker to enable multi-touch functionality without touching a surface. To set up a marker that Touchless tracks, just grab something colorful, click Add A New Marker, then draw a circle around the object. From there on out, Touchless will monitor that marker wherever it is in the shot. Without the need to expensive hardware (just simple webcam) you can browse through your computer using the Touchless, cut & copy, show virtual pictures like it is in your hands, etc. The Touchless is windows only technology.

To get more real view what is Touchless see a quick demo of this technology here. In this demo presentation you can see how with Touchless SDK you can easily Draw, Image, Snake, and Defend.

As a developer you can contribute to the Touchless code, present on Microsoft’s CodePlex website.

Link: Microsoft Office Labs

Tags | Multimedia, Open Source, Programming, Software, Tools, Windows