Microsoft develops capacitive mat prototype with NFC support

Microsoft has developed a mat called Project Zanzibar. This is touch-sensitive and can be used in combination with various objects via NFC. For example, Microsoft sees applications for children and in learning environments.

The Redmond company writes that the mat, which is still a prototype, is flexible and portable and that all touch detection and processing takes place in the mat itself. The prototype communicates with other devices via bluetooth and usb. For example, a screen can be connected to which objects on the mat can be displayed in a virtual scene. In a paper that Microsoft plans to present soon, it writes that object tracking is possible using nfc and the capacitive properties of the mat.

In addition, it is possible to record movements that take place up to a maximum of 3 cm above the mat. For example, a user can swipe or draw shapes. The team behind Project Zanzibar has created several reference designs for hardware to be used with the mat.

Microsoft mentions a number of applications in its paper. That’s what it calls the possibility of a kind of movie maker by placing figures on the mat that are then rendered on a screen. Then, for example, a user can place a camera and light sources on the mat to capture and illuminate the virtual scene. In addition, Microsoft mentions the example of ‘ar tower defense’, a game in which the player simultaneously uses the HoloLens to place towers and defeat enemies. In addition, applications in learning environments are conceivable, such as learning to program using physical blocks.