Motley Fool - Sony Future Lab Devices

This table top projector was displayed at CES with MicroVision -- They missed the Sony Agent (Which I think is closer to reality that some of the stuff they talk about here.)


Motley Fool -- More at the source.

AR tabletop projectors

Sony also showcased a projector that turns a tabletop into a touchscreen while beaming depth-sensitive digital objects onto the surface. It can also recognize and interact with physical objects. In a SXSW demo described by Engadget's Nathan Ingraham, the projector made the illustrations in a physical copy of Alice in Wonderland "jump" off the book and onto the table.

This is similar to Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) approach with HoloLens, except Sony's strategy doesn't require a headset and the images aren't three-dimensional. Microsoft has also dabbled in tabletop touchscreens before -- the "original" Surface, which was launched in 2007, was a 30" tabletop touchscreen. That device, which was later renamed PixelSense, was mainly sold to restaurants, hotels, and casinos. Microsoft also previously showcased "RoomAlive" projectors which turn rooms into interactive games, and "IllumiRoom" tech which projects images around the TV to blur the lines between the screen and the room.

It's unclear how Sony's AR projectors will be used, but they might eventually be marketed as a cheaper alternative to the HoloLens, or spice up its Home, Entertainment, and Sound business, which generated 16% of its sales last quarter.