Project Zanzibar: Microsoft’s Magic Carpet!

We all have a head on the magic carpet, and it is fairly certain that we have all wished we had one. But Microsoft has sort of made their own version of the magic carpet.  Let’s be clear here, they won’t fly or anything, but this new tech, code-named “Project Zanzibar” is capable of doing some remarkable feats.

This clever mat from Microsoft can sense, locate and interact with the object and is sensitive to the human touch. The mat achieves this by using NFC technology in tandem with capacitive touch sensing.  This means that the mat is even capable of tracking your hand if you hover over it.

The driving force behind this invention is very simple: to build a computing platform that people can actually interact with.

“We began with a simple thought: what if we could blur the divide between the physical and digital worlds? What if you could play with toys and cards and blocks while watching your actions come alive onscreen?” – Project Zanzibar Research Team

Do we really need one?

At a glance, this technology might seem a bit unnecessary, as it just tracks the movement above it and objects that are placed on it. But the tech has got more features than meets the eye.

Microsoft engineers have fitted toys with NFC chips that can communicate with the mat. Also, the mat can communicate with a screen via Bluetooth or USB. Hence, when the toys are placed on the mat, it will be shown on the screen from a 3D viewpoint.

When you move the toys, the animation on the screen also changes. But the interesting bit is that the background setting also changes with the toys used.

For example, if you put a palm-tree on the mat, the output screen will show a green and lush background. And when you move the toys around, the display will show the toys move in tandem with the toy.

They even interact with each other on the screen. This interesting feature was showcased by the developers when they moved two pirate toys past each other on the mat. As soon as they were in proximity to each other, they started yelling at each other on the screen.

The figurines even have LEDs that light up in a variety of colors to show different events or turns in the game. All the toys for the mat come bundled with the Toybox that Microsoft offers.

Microsoft has already planned many games that will use the mat to give users different gaming experience.

Learning Made Easy: Microsoft’s Vision Of Interactive Learning

But the applications of Project Zanzibar doesn’t end there as it is going to be a game changer when it comes to interactive learning. Pupils can practice writing and view the image of what they have written in real time. This all paves the way for fun learning experiences.

The positioning of objects can be successfully identified by the mat, thanks to low-cost NFC stickers. The NFC stickers enable the mat to correctly identify the height at which the objects are placed. So if the objects are placed on top of each other, the display will show it just like that.

Microsoft is going ahead with the development of this product, and from the look of it, this product is gearing up for being a huge success!