[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt1mRlxAWpM[/youtube]
Many smartphone owners would like to be able to connect a projector to their terminal and this may become possible thanks to a university in Calgary, Canada. In the video clip above we have a demonstration of a virtual projection system that essentially allows us to project images from a smartphone screen onto a PC screen in a completely new way. Unlike a projector, the Calgary system works differently and allows the user to fully control the way the image is projected, but also to add other projected images on the screen.
Portable projectors in mobile devices provide a promising way to overcome screen-space limitations on handhelds, navigate information, or augment reality. One of their appeals is the simplicity of interaction: Aiming at an appropriate surface projects the image, and changing posture and direction adjusts the image's position and orientation. This behavior is purely based on optics, allowing us to intuitively grasp it based on our own experience with the physical world. However, strict adherence to the laws of physics also has its drawbacks: The intensity of light varies with the projector's distance to the surface, and the projected image is tightly coupled to the projector's movement.
The idea is extremely interesting, it is not ready for release to the general public, but in a few years we may be able to project almost anything on our own computer screen.
