Microsoft invited BBC News to take a first look at its revamped Space of the Future at its headquarters in Redmond, Washington. The facility is used to portray what the firm thinks life might be like five to 10 years in the future.

A lot is riding on its vision being correct.

In a recent interview when chairman Bill Gates was asked if he was happy with the performance of the firm under chief executive Steve Ballmer's rule, he replied: "There are a lot of amazing things that Steve's leadership got done at the company over the last year... but is it enough? No. He and I are not satisfied in terms of breakthrough things that we're doing everything possible."

The firm's stock price is roughly where it was five years ago while rivals Apple, Amazon and Samsung have all seen theirs more than double.

So, launching best-selling products for the home could help bolster Microsoft's reputation for innovation and reinvigorate investors.

And its engineers revealed a host of ideas including desks that recognise users and match their ergonomic requirements, widespread gesture control and online content that queries itself.

Video produced by the BBC's Matthew Danzico