A handheld projector with inbuilt Android turning any surface into a touch screen has launched on Indiegogo, with delivery due October and distributors sought worldwide.
The sci-fi world of any surface having touch has finally arrived with TouchPico’s new pico projector, despite Apple’s recent iPad projection patent.
Able to broadcast a picture up to 80-inches in size, TouchPico’s Android 4.0 OS lets you run all Google Play apps as normal, with the included infrared stylus delivering the desired touch-screen functionality.
Android app compatibility means access to all the business, creativity, education, entertainment, physical activity and gaming apps you already enjoy, while an HDMI port means you can project from your PC and Mac, too and still take advantage of the stylus-delivered touch.
The stylus has a tiny infrared emitter, whose signal is captured by the TouchPico’s tiny built-in infrared camera, and processed to convert usage into touch screen co-ordinates.
 Click to enlarge |
| The TouchPico in action |
This means you can have an interactive whiteboard or the ability to play Fruit Ninja or anything else anywhere you have a flat surface to project to.
Powered with rechargeable batteries, TouchPico is “slightly heavier than a Samsung S4 phone and just about the same size”.
TouchPico says features include Android 4.0, SD memory card slot, audio output, integrated Wi-Fi, HDMI input, wireless mouse mode, ChromeCast streaming and 80 lumens of brightness.
Set to retail for US $499 from mid-October, the TouchPico is being featured on crowd-funding site Indiegogo at nicely keen introductory pricing that started at $250 but is now around the $350 mark, with international buyers needing to pay an extra $30 shipping.
Its funding goal was US $55,000, but with 26 days left at time of publication, TouchPico has smashed past that, already raising just under $200,000, or 361% of the funding goal – a figure sure to jump substantially higher before the funding window is closed.
The company is actively seeking distributors in different countries, although the US, Singapore and China have already been reserved.
A 5 minute video ably demonstrating exactly how TouchPico works is here.
