This isn’t exactly like the input device from Minority Report, but it’s in the right direction. The idea is that you can use your hands at all times and it does it in a very unobtructive way by overlaying your hands as transparent shadows — the opacity and color is controlled by you. The TactaPad also features tactile response, which is designed to fit the task at hand. If you press a button, it gives you a you a firm fall-through sensation that let’s you know it was pressed. A disabled button is stiff and buzzes, to let you know that your press is being ignored. And when dragging you feel a soft springiness, with only a light touch needed to move across the surface.

Not surprising, the company is based in Palo alto, Ca and has a bunch of demo movies you should check out. The TactaPad is not available for sale, yet. So if you are a company looking to license the technology and bring the product to market please contact them ASAP. They expect the pricing to be about $1000 and would work on both Windows and OSX.

[ Thanks Mike C.! ]