Microsoft unveiled their new 'Surface' multi-touch computer. A 30in touch screen monitor is mounted into a table top to give you that $10,000 coffee table you always wanted for your living room. The articles I read don't say much about how the screen actually functions, but it is said that the screen sits below an acrylic surface - 5 cameras are also mounted below the surface of the table to sense nearby objects. It's the acrylic surface that really brings to mind Jeff Han's multi-touch display. The method used in the presentation -- showing off paint and photo manipulation abilities of the interface by starting with one finger and then spreading all five fingers across the screen (each finger carrying it's own thread from the display) sounds like it is straight from Jeff Han at TED.

Jeff Han's touch screen interface works by measuring the refraction of light caused by fingers touching the screen. This allows for several neat computer-human interactions. Namely, the screen is multi-touch, meaning that several fingers can touch the screen at the same time. Secondly, the screen allows for different reactions based on the amount of pressure applied to the screen. During Jeff Han's presentation to TED he also indicated that the screen could potentially register proximity of the hands to the screen.