Microsoft Research has debuted a new project that aims to improve presentation experiences by using multiple projectors and depth sensors. Called MeetAlive, the company describes the set up as a Room-Scale Omni-Directional Display System for Multi-User Content and Control Sharing.

The method makes it easier to share content in meetings and immerse groups into presentations. MeetAlive was introduced by Hrvoje Benko, Andreas Rene Fender, Andy Wilson at the ISS 2017 – ACM International Conference on Interactive Surfaces and Spaces.

Researchers from Microsoft married several depth cameras and screen projectors to achieve an omnidirectional display surface. The tool is room-scale and essentially means participants in a meeting will be surrounded by screens.

However, it will also support collaborative face-to-face group interactions. During meetings, attendees will be able to share and manage content from a personal device to one of the multi-displays through wireless connection.

As there are screens around the room, participants do not need to move to see the content. Features will allow people to see actions being made to content in real-time on the screens.

Meeting Immersion

MeetAlive means all attendees of a meeting have full control over what is displayed on the screens. Microsoft Research has achieved this by changing the perspective of the mouse cursor. Users will also be able to use gestures across screens and devices in the conference.

As is often the case with Microsoft Research projects, there are no guarantees MeetAlive will ever be made into a full product. However, it is very likely that the technology will be folded into other developments, at the very least.

Considering Microsoft continues to make big plays for enterprise users, so MeetAlive certainly has potential.