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Tablets and smaller monitors are great for individual use. Interactive touchscreen displays are very expensive at large-enough sizes to facilitate group work. How can we affordably create an interactive touch surface that is large enough for a group of students to gather around for collaborative operation?

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If we can afford a large-enough touchscreen display for a team to gather around, it would generally require the team to stand at the wall-mounted device. In addition to being high-cost, this could be problematic from an accessibility standpoint.

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Let's lay the touchscreen flat so that the group can gather around all sides of it, and even pull up chairs to sit down for a longer session. This would be more accessible for children who might not be able to reach the top of a wall-mounted display. This also provides better access for wheelchair users or people with other mobility issues.

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How can we create a large, interactive, touch-display that is in a table-top format, without a price-point approaching five figures?

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By mounting a projector to the ceiling in a way that allows it to be aimed directly downward, you can use any sized white table top as your "screen". (image created with ChatGPT)

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This is the very basic list of necessary components.

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Projecting the image to the table is the easy part. Interactivity is achieved by tracking touch input using a Kinect sensor, IR or laser detection, and processing data through a connected PC. The software interprets touch data, renders interactive content, and interprets gestures, making the projection responsive to user input.

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You can currently see this technology in action at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History! My "mini-innovation" brings interactive tabletop functionality to funding-challenged classrooms with an affordable, do-it-yourself solution.

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With a good PC, a cleverly mounted projector, and the right software, a motion sensor and some know-how, you can turn your classroom floor into an interactive game board. The learning possibilities are limitless.