Question's One, Two, and Three

Think about what you would like to see Microsoft's Surface applied to in the university environment, what benefits and features it would offer, and how you go about developing its application - then reply this thread with your ideas.

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I would like to see Surface applied in any medical science. Imagine being able to perform virtual medicine, or even a virtual surgery? The interactive nature of surface would allow for a rising medical academic to get as close to real world experience without having to ever touch a patient. Granted, not every outcome can be accounted for in any training technology, but doing something on a cadaver and a living person would differ much more than a human and a simulated human. This of course would be no easy undertaking. Collaboration between instructors and software developers would be priority to achieve the most realistic application possible. You would have to decide what models to use, how to measure correct movements, and where more detailed study is required most.

I think Surface would make an excellent addition to art and design classes. It could be amazing if used as a virtual canvas! Students could pick any color, use a variety of "brush" styles and paint with their hands, applying effects and working with layers-- even adding animation or three dimensional effects to their digital paintings. To take full advantage of Surface's capabilities in this capacity however, it would take more than simply developing a touch-screen Photoshop clone. I think the interface for such an application would need to be heavily gesture-based to make working with it as smooth as possible. Perhaps touches with one hand could alter a brush as it's being used to draw with the other hand, changing the hue, lightness, and/or color saturation in a brush stroke, or even creating gradient effects. Gestures would also be used to zoom in and out, rotate, or even tilt or warp the canvas using 3D effects. Building a creative platform like this would be quite a task, and I think the interface would require extensive testing by artists and students to ensure that its operation was as smooth and intuitive as possible, as confusing or awkward controls could easily become a major frustration that would hinder creativity.. Since a tool such as this would have a massive amount of features and options, the menu system would have to be particularly well-designed in order to offer such a huge array of options in a well-organized a way that would make them quickly accessible and minimize distraction from the creative process.

This technology would be ideal for web design. The Surface technology would allow you to work on a web site in real time with other students. You would be able to share or swap pages on the table. A benefit of being able to do this would be saving time. If I were working on a page and needed help or ideas I could just slide the page over to you and you could assist me. This would not be hard to implement. The only thing that would be needed would be software such as Dreamweaver.

Wayne wrote:

I think Surface would make an excellent addition to art and design classes. It could be amazing if used as a virtual canvas! Students could pick any color, use a variety of "brush" styles and paint with their hands, applying effects and working with layers-- even adding animation or three dimensional effects to their digital paintings.

Totally a great idea! You could also expand on that notion of design to another design program, AutoCAD. I can see someone like an architect or mechanical engineer having a blast with a version of AutoCAD developed to use with Surface. This of course would a little harder to implement, and I honestly don't know if those companies could "play nice" together, but it is definitely a nice thought!

1. I believe Surface would work well in an entertainment/dining atmosphere.

Imagine going to a sports bar and being able to play interactive trivia and even actions games right on your table.

Imagine going to a fine dining restaurant and being apple to check sports scores and stocks right in front of you.

What if the menu was the surface device? Order, Pay with little interaction with a waiter/waitress.



2. A benefit of Surface in a dining and entertainment atmosphere would be little to no interaction with a waiter/waitress. Order items off a menu at your own pace no matter if your in a hurry or want to take all day. For business users, the internet and email access right on the table could keep them productive on the go.

3. The work to be done would be very simple. Create a surface device for each table in a restaurant, or a portable device to be used upon request. Make sure it has a spill proof coating on it since it will be around food and beverages.

I was ambushed by circumstance today, but I suppose better late than never!! If you feel I, or anyone else has missed something, do let us know asap!

1. Microsoft’s surface could be usefully applied to a menagerie of areas of study. In any medical discipline, it would allow for the realistic training without have to ever touch a patient. In art and graphic design it would allow for the most interactive canvas any artist could ask for. In web design it would allow students to work more efficiently on pages and projects than ever before. Students of drafting and technical design would have a medium that would be more interactive and pliable than any technology available until now. Hospitality would be revolutionized in the real world and in the classroom, allowing this interactive software to streamline the dining experience.

2. Imagine going to a restaurant, and never having to speak to your waiter. Less confusion and fewer botched orders when you input your desired choices directly into the Surface interface. The surface screens available in the kitchen display to the cooks what you’ve ordered, and anything specific you’ve requested about your meal. Perhaps even the recipe is displayed. In an academic capacity, if the hospitality center at your university employed this technology, you would not only be prepared for when you graduate, it would help the learning process as well.
Surface as a digital canvas would make the stylus pad look like stone-age technology. Its super sensitive interface could employ the most realistic interaction with the gestures and movements the artist makes. You could actually change the color, saturation, and medium while you were moving the brush across your canvas. You could manipulate multiple layers at once, or even create new and bizarre effects by warping or crumpling your canvas. A student studying to be an architect or mechanical engineer would be able to use design programs in an environment more conducive to 3D imaging, and be able to affect more than one area of their design. Surface would also allow you web design students to work collaboratively on a page at the same time. Sharing and swapping pages on the table would save time and money in the classroom and in the real world. As a student of medicine, you could be trained on a virtual patient rather than a cadaver. Surgeries could be simulated digitally with the multiple input interface Surface provides. This would be invaluable in the classroom, and better prepare medical students for real world practice.

3. Actually applying any of these fantastic ideas for Surface would be no easy task. Significant interaction between those in the field, those in the university and developers would be key to designing applications and software to run Surface; not to mention the physical platforms themselves. Then getting existing software to interface with Surface would a task on its own. Dreamweaver for Surface, AutoCAD for Surface or Adobe Photoshop for surface. Would these companies be willing to work with Microsoft to accomplish revolutionary applications for the greater good?