5 Minute, Dirt Cheap Multitouch Pad
We’ve recently seen huge advancements in multitouch technology with the iPhone, WiiMote, and more, but this is by far the easiest way to build your own multitouch sensing system. Basically, all you need is a webcam, glass pane, and a cardboard box.
“If you ever wanted to interact with your computer using a multitouch pad (just like the ones on the new Macbook Pros), this is for you. Using simple materials and very little time, you can have a portable multitouch pad that lets you interact in new ways or expand the size of your current touchpad while making it multitouch.”
Materials:
- Cardboard Box
- Piece of Clear Flat Sturdy Material (ie. Glass, acrylic, plexiglas)
- Paper (ie. printer paper, tracing paper, almost any paper)
- Webcam or Video Camera (I use a Philips SPC900NC)
Software Needed: Touchlib
Optional Software (for demonstrations and use with Windows):
- Windows Mousedriver (inside the touchlib download)
- MultiKey Piano Application
May 19th, 2009
does this really work? which software do you have to use with the webcam for it to work as a mouse?
nice video by the way
May 19th, 2009
Software and webcam info are in the article above. And yes, it works.
May 19th, 2009
Software and webcam info are in the article above.
June 23rd, 2009
the program you need is—-> touchlib_beta_v2.0
November 17th, 2009
Why does this work? I understand that touchlib looks for high contrast shapes and calls them touch events, but where does the contrast come from in this case? I mean, without the benefit of FTIR?
November 18th, 2009
Your fingers on the white surface create the contrast.
November 24th, 2009
So this only works in an evenly lit room, right? That’s the only way I can picture a touch on paper reading sharply enough to register.
November 24th, 2009
Right, it uses contrast so you can have bizarre lighting or anything.
March 31st, 2010
Can this be used to set up something like the registers at McDonald’s where the order taker touches a square for each item on the menu? I can write a program with Visual Basic to show buttons on a screen and duplicate that screen on the paper that you touch.
April 1st, 2010
Yeah, you should be able to. Go for it and let us know how it works out – joe@hacknmod.com
April 1st, 2010
Hey, for a while now I have wanted to get a tablet. This looks a lot cheaper (a piece of paper, glass, a cardboard box and a webcam) and it looks pretty effective. But will it work as a tablet for things like graphic design? If so can I use a stylus?
Thank you.
P.S. 1) How do you click?
2) Will the thing be reversed because the webcam image is normally reversed?
April 21st, 2010
is a specific resolution required for the webcam??
April 21st, 2010
I don’t think so.
April 29th, 2010
Can somebody PLEASE answer my question?
Will it work as a tablet for things like graphic design? If so can I use a stylus?
Thank you.
P.S. 1) How do you click?
2) Will the thing be reversed because the webcam image is normally reversed?
April 30th, 2010
@sam – 1) You can customize it to do pretty much whatever you’d like. The software is free and open source. 2) I believe the image is already reversed, so you don’t have to worry about it.