Creating a virtual touchscreen anywhere with MEMS scanning single mirror laser projectors

Trends in consumer electronics over the last few years have enabled us to carry what are essentially minicomputers in our pockets. This is especially true of Smartphones. We now have the ability to capture content with integrated cameras and store the same onto integrated Flash memories. And more recently, a new class of display devices called Pico Projectors has emerged that allows sharing of this content in a larger format than the integrated liquid crystal panel display. And it is then a natural evolutionary step from there to want to interact with the projected content. Here in this paper, we discuss how single-mirror laser pico projectors are natural enablers of creating a virtual touchscreen anywhere and in a nearly unconstrained manner.