In a recent YouTube video, Microsoft Research showed off its implementation of simultaneous input from both touch and a pen, and how the combination can enable interesting new functions.
Microsoft Research often shares with the public new and interesting technologies they’ve developed. This week, the division has provided us with yet another one.
The video demos a working implementation of a touch screen that allows for input from both a stylus and a finger, simultaneously. Those who use styluses will definitely relish the technology if it ever comes to market, as it’s often a little jarring when you need to consciously lift your pen in order to make a quick change or click.
Not only that, but the feature would also open up entirely new means of interaction with the device, making the use of a pen much more immersive, and even allowing for some functionality currently only offered by the Surface Dial, especially in graphic design software. A likely scenario would be one where a user could simultaneously be drawing with one hand, and changing the pen colours and textures with the other. The use of custom widgets designed for the technology are also shown to yield impressive gains in efficiency with the use of everyday applications like Excel and browsers.
This is definitely a feature on my wish list for the next Surface device, whether it’s called the Surface Pro 5 or something else entirely, but what we can do at this point is just wait and see what the future holds.
Source: Microsoft Research via OnMSFT
