Research

TechFest is upon us so let the brilliant minds at MS Research (Global) share their latest inventions. "Write in the Air" is a proof-of-concept demo for recognizing characters written in the air. In order to input characters into devices such as the Xbox 360 and televisions equipped with a…

After deploying Blue&Me for Fiat and Sync for Ford, in-car dialog systems are morphing from cool gadgets that amaze people and sell more cars to integral parts of in-car infotainment. Commute UX raises the bar for the functionality, usability and reliability of these systems.…

This demo explores how to add pointing input capabilities to very small screen devices. On first sight, touch-screens seem to allow for particular compactness, because they integrate input and screen into the same physical space. The opposite is true, however, because the users fingers occlude…

With all the amazing technology and products coming out of Microsoft recently- you might think that's all we've got to offer. Well, that's just not the case. We have a team of researchers working 24/7 on new products to thrill you and exponentially increase your productivity. Until now, we've kept…

I had to stop by and try on the 3D glasses at the WWT booth during this years Faculty Research Summit. If you think the WWT is cool- just wait till you see it in 3D.WorldWide Telescope (WWT) enables your computer to function as a virtual telescope, bringing together imagery from the best ground and…

This year at the Microsoft Research Summit there were some life altering ideas showcased and some new projects which will change the way we interact with technology. There was also THIS FIX to the problems you may have been having with your Dance Dance Revolution game pad. Drew from…

Laura shows Tina how a new program called Aura uses your camera phone to scan products.Then the whole crew shows up on stage to provide a bit of entertainment, written by you, the wonderful commenters on 10.

Sometimes Rand McNally just doesn't get the job done. If you've ever tried to read the street number on a building from a moving car in Seattle traffic, you know what we mean. Well a couple of UW grad students are building something that could make finding your way in a big city easier. Urban…

We dropped in at Microsoft Research (MSR) to get a look at the potential for today’s technologies long before they ever evolve into products. Andy Wilson’s Play Anywhere prototype uses a clever combination of a projector, a camera, and a computer to develop what is probably the most intuitive human…

Eric Horvitz spends his time at MSR developing advanced ideas for time and resource management. His work automates the prioritization of tasks by monitoring the formatting of emails (and eventually the voice-print of voice-mails). His software even uses his digital camera to watch how he moves…