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Tech Primer
Magic Table: A digital Whiteboard
 Magic
Table is a computer vision based augmentation of whiteboard used for creative
meetings. It uses computer vision for scanning and spatially organizing texts
and drawings on its surface. Digitization of the physical ink is done by a-posteriori
capture of the strokes. The digital information is organized through the manipulation
of tokens (small plastic disks). The interaction consists of fast and easy-to-learn
gestures that support multiple simultaneous users and two-handed control.
The System
The main components of the Magic Table are a regular whiteboard with its pens
and eraser, a video projector and a video camera both oriented toward the board,
and a computer. The projector is a 1024x768 DMD video projector. The camera
is a computer controlled pan / tilt / zoom PAL (768x576 at 25 fps.) video camera.
The computer is a standard bi-processor PC equipped with a graphics (for projector
output) card and a video acquisition (for camera input) card. The Magic Table
setup has been recently enhanced with the addition of a second video camera
in order to allow parallel operation of scanning and tracking services.
Usage
Users can write, draw and erase on the Magic Table as on a regular whiteboard.
When the user desires to access more advanced digital services, he can scan
physical strokes into patches. In order to create a patch, users first need
to select the area by putting up two tokens. The system in turn understands
that a selection is initiated, and projects an elastic rectangle representing
the selection between the two tokens. The rectangle is updated in real time
according to the motion of the tokens. The scan camera orients itself towards
the selection and grabs one or more images depending on the size of the selection.
Once the scan is finished, the patch is immediately projected on top of the
physical strokes, informing the user that he can now manipulate it.
Scope
The Magic Board is an innovative attempt to complement a whiteboard surface
with severely missing digital services such as copy and transformation of the
content. This initiative of making a digital white board will change the way
meetings are handled in boardrooms. This technology still needs a lot of brushing
up with the addition of more features.
—Kushal Shah
For further information, visit: iihm.imag.fr/demos/magicboard/
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