Intent: research. Before the iPad made multi-touch ubiquitous, Microsoft was building table-sized touchscreens that could recognize multiple users, respond to object placement, and enable collaborative interactions impossible on single-user devices.
The Microsoft Surface table (later rebranded PixelSense to avoid confusion with the Surface tablet line) debuted in 2007 as a commercial product for hotels, casinos, and retail environments. While the original form factor didn’t achieve mass adoption, its influence persists in museum exhibits, corporate collaboration spaces, and any installation requiring object-aware or multi-user touch.
What Made PixelSense Different
The original Surface table wasn’t just a big touchscreen—it was a fundamentally different approach to touch interaction:
Multi-User Simultaneity
Standard touchscreens track touch points, but the Surface could distinguish between multiple users through various means:
- Orientation detection: Content could orient itself toward different users seated around the table
- Simultaneous input: Multiple people could interact independently without input conflicts
- Social awareness: The system understood that multiple humans were present, not just multiple touches
For exhibits, this meant collaborative experiences—sorting virtual artifacts, exploring maps together, playing multiplayer games—that single-user kiosks couldn’t provide.
Object Recognition
The most distinctive capability: placing a physical object on the Surface triggered digital responses. A wine bottle could summon pairing suggestions. A hotel key card could display reservations. A game piece could interact with virtual elements.
This worked through tags—small visual patterns on object bases that cameras beneath the display recognized. Unlike RFID or NFC (which require proximity but not precise positioning), tagged objects had exact location and orientation on the surface.
Rear-Projection Display
The original Surface used a rear-projection system with infrared cameras looking up through the display surface. This bottom-up approach enabled:
- Seeing touch contact (infrared cameras detected finger proximity)
- Object tag reading (cameras recognized patterns)
- Even surface illumination (projection from below)
The trade-off: the table required significant depth below the display surface—typically 20+ inches—making it impractical for wall mounting or thin installations.
Why It Matters Today
PixelSense as a commercial product line was discontinued, but its innovations live on:
Museum Interactive Tables
Many science museums, children’s museums, and history centers use tabletop interactives that descend from Surface concepts:
- Collaborative exploration: Multiple visitors manipulating the same dataset
- Object triggers: Placing artifacts on scan zones reveals information
- Orientation awareness: Content rotating to face different visitors around the perimeter
Commercial Collaboration Spaces
Microsoft’s own Surface Hub products (different from PixelSense, but conceptually related) brought large-format touch to conference rooms. Competitors like Google’s Jamboard and various whiteboard-style displays continue the multi-user collaboration vision.
Experiential Retail
Retail environments use object-aware surfaces for:
- Product comparison (place two items, see specs side-by-side)
- Customization (place a shoe, see color options projected onto it)
- Checkout augmentation (scan items by placing them on a surface)
Design Lessons for Current Projects
If you’re designing exhibits or installations with multi-user touch, PixelSense history offers guidance:
Plan for Social Dynamics
When multiple people can interact simultaneously, social dynamics emerge:
- Territorial behavior: Users claim screen regions
- Collaborative opportunities: Experiences that require cooperation
- Conflict potential: What happens when two users want the same element?
Design content that anticipates these dynamics. Create explicit collaboration points. Provide personal zones when appropriate.
Consider Orientation
Content designed for single-user devices assumes one “up” direction. Multi-user surfaces need:
- Radially-symmetrical layouts where no direction is privileged
- Content that rotates to face the interacting user
- Readable elements from all angles (avoid text that only reads correctly from one side)
Object Interaction Adds Complexity
Object-aware surfaces are powerful but complicated:
- Tag reliability: Objects must maintain recognizable tags (wear, dirt, rotation affect recognition)
- Object libraries: Every recognized object requires database entries
- Fallback behavior: What happens when an unrecognized object is placed?
If object recognition isn’t core to your experience, simpler touch-only systems may be more reliable.
Durability Matters More
Tabletop surfaces experience more wear than wall-mounted displays:
- Objects are placed and slid across the surface
- Spills occur (especially in hospitality environments)
- Edges receive repeated contact from leaning users
Specify commercial-grade glass and consider replaceable surface films for high-traffic installations.
Current Technology Options
For projects requiring multi-user or object-aware touch, current options include:
Commercial Interactive Tables
Several vendors produce table-form-factor displays with multi-touch:
- Ideum Platform and Colossus: Purpose-built for museums and exhibits
- Various LCD-based tables: Less expensive than original Surface, but without object recognition
- Custom integrations: Large displays integrated into custom furniture
Object Recognition Alternatives
Modern object recognition often uses different approaches than PixelSense tags:
- Camera-based recognition: Overhead or angled cameras identify objects by shape
- RFID/NFC: Detect tagged objects when placed in specific zones
- Weight sensors: Detect object placement through pressure
- Hybrid systems: Combine approaches for reliability
Standard Large-Format Displays
For many applications, large touchscreens (55"-86") without object recognition or multi-user features suffice. These are more affordable, more reliable, and easier to maintain than specialized tabletop systems.
Conclusion
Microsoft’s PixelSense represented an ambitious vision of computing surfaces that understood both touch and physical objects, enabling social interaction around shared digital content.
That vision was ahead of its time commercially but remains relevant for:
- Museum and exhibit designers creating collaborative experiences
- Retail environments using object-awareness for product interaction
- Any installation where multiple simultaneous users matter
When evaluating interactive solutions, consider whether multi-user capability is essential or merely novel. The added complexity has real costs in price, maintenance, and content development. But for the right application, truly social touch experiences create engagement impossible with single-user devices.
For guidance on evaluating touchscreen display solutions—including when specialized features are worth the investment—see our comprehensive guide.
Best Touchscreen is an independent educational resource. We have no affiliation with Microsoft or any specific hardware vendor.