Multitouch at your fingertips, with the Touch Mouse and Sensor API

I always find API's and SDK's fertile ground to find cool and fun things to play with and when we mix in some new hardware, well...

Today's API/SDK is from the Microsoft Research Touch Mouse team, the Microsoft Touch Mouse Sensor API (x86, x64) for the new Microsoft Touch Mouse

First off, check out some of the applications that were built using the API;

Meet the Winners of the UIST Contest

In late October the winners of the third annual UIST Student Innovation Contest were announced. Students in the 30 participating groups were challenged to develop new, innovative ways of using the Microsoft Touch Mouse, and six teams stood out as clear winners across three categories:

• Most Creative: Wellesley College, Mass. (TUI.TAR), and Claremont College, Calif. (FlipMouse)
• Most Useful:Carnegie Mellon University, Pa. (Window Manipulation), and Wellesley College, Mass. (Where’s Bo Peep?)
• Best Implemented:IT University of Copenhagen (Toki D.I.Y. Tookit), and UC Berkley (The Mossage Mat)

In addition two teams were selected by their UIST peers and received awards in the People’s Choice category. MIT Media Lab, Mass., created a project titled “Snail Interface” that can control the antennas of a snail using the Touch Mouse. Also, KAIST, Korea created a project titled “Grip to Identify,” which allows the modification of the Touch Mouse touch pattern to identify unique users who login to a computer.

Then check out some more information from Microsoft Research;

• Mouse 2.0: Multi-touch meets the mouse
• Touch Mouse - Mouse 2.0 Research Becomes a Reality with Microsoft's New Touch Mouse
• A Touch Mouse’s Tale

Play with a web site that encourages your artistic side;

Unleash the Artist Hidden Within You With Help From the “Art of Touch”

Microsoft Hardware officially kicks off the Art of Touch project today, an international art campaign that merges art and technology in a new and innovative way. Now anyone can be an artist by creating a unique and original digital masterpiece using a mouse and the Art of Touch palette now available at ArtOfTouch.com.

The Art of Touch palette allows you to create artwork on an interactive digital canvas using the technology at your fingertips, and contribute to an evolving global masterpiece that is showcased on the main page of the Art of Touch website. Choose from three digital brushes combined with five digital effects to create one-of-a-kind designs and patterns.

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Which you don't need a Touch Mouse to play with (though I sure it helps but I doubt anything could help my artistic effort...lol)

Finally, how can you build apps with the API? Get a Microsoft Touch Mouse, download the API and get coding!

Microsoft Touch Mouse Sensor API (x86, x64)

The Microsoft Touch Mouse supports multitouch gestures via an integrated sensor. The Touch Mouse Sensor API software-development kit (SDK) is a small library intended to enable students and researchers to experiment directly with Touch Mouse sensor output. Using this SDK, you can create your own applications consuming the 13 x 15 sensor image. The SDK includes C# and C++ samples demonstrating how to read and manipulate sensor data. To use this SDK, you need Windows 7, Visual Studio 2010, and a Microsoft Touch Mouse. This SDK is provided for research and educational purposes only, not for commercial use.