I was aware of the work by Jeff Han some time ago, but was reminded (Design is Kinky) to look at his site again. A couple of recent projects caught my eye.
Multi-Touch Sensing through Frustrated Total Internal Reflection
If you have ever seen Lemur (a $2495 multi touch surface) then you will understand what this is. Using camera tracking and rear projection, this project can track multiple finger points. The way it is done is very clever. Instead of trying to recognise the pattern of a finger on the camera, an led light is sent through the side of the acrylic. The light then reflected internally, but when you place a finger on the acrylic the light bounces off your finger, making it noticable by the camera.
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Multi-Touch Sensing through LED Matrix Displays
Using an LED display bidirectionally to optically detect finger touches. Watch the video.
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Holodust
Finally Holodust, a true open-air volumetric display.
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