This is the Sprout by HP: a $1,899 Windows 8 PC coming to the US November 9. It also has a scanner and projected touch display underneath. Yes, it's funky.
Taking a tour of Sprout: creative apps are projected in 1,024x768-pixel resolution on a 20-inch Touch Mat.
A top Illuminator projector shows what you're looking at, while the capacitive mat offers seamless interaction.
The Sprout Illuminator houses an XGA DLP projector, a 14-megapixel camera, and an Intel RealSense 3D camera with infrared and depth sensors. It also acts as a desk lamp.
Sprout from the back. It's a standard Windows 8 Core i7 touchscreen PC with 1TB of storage and 8GB of RAM.
The Touch Mat magnetically docks on the bottom, so you can easily detach it and use a keyboard and mouse instead.
An Adonit Jot capacitive stylus comes included.
You can use any capacitive stylus with the Sprout's mat.
A look at the back ports and power connector.
The Illuminator projector/camera stands above the center of the Sprout's attached monitor and is a permanent part of the Sprout's design, but it feels like an accessory that could eventually be sold separately for other Windows PCs.
The Touch Mat's surface, designed in partnership with 3M, can be wiped clean and has a soft, matte feel.
Standard USB ports on the side, so you can always plug in other PC accessories.
The mat's thin and unobtrusive. You can detach it, or use it as a fancy desk cover with a keyboard on top when not in use.
Sketching on the projected display using a stylus and HP's Create app.
Tapping on a projected piano keyboard: 20-point multitouch feels fast and responsive, although the display projects on your fingers.
Trying the Piano Time app with Brad Short, the inventor of Sprout.
Pictures can be scanned from the bottom mat and added into applications automatically, like this sketch.
Scanning a plastic potato.
The potato scan ends up in 2D, but with shadowing that can be removed. A separate app does actual 3D scans.
Collaborating on Sprout with other users, some on other Sprouts, and some on Windows tablets via HP MyRoom, which also runs on Windows and Android phones and, soon, iOS.
Scanning a 3D frog mask into a collaborative sketch because, well, frog mask.
3D scanning is possible with the 3D camera, but the software's in beta until early 2015.
Playing with the 3D scanned shapes, which only capture the part that faces upward on the mat (for now).
Light patterns are cast on the object to be 3D scanned.
Next year, HP plans integration with 3D printers and full 3D scanning of objects via the Sprout platform.
From the back, Sprout by HP looks like many other Windows 8 PCs...but with a large central arm.
One of a handful of third-party apps: a painting/sticker art app by Crayola.
Trying virtualized touch controls on the projected lower display via Gestureworks apps. I use it to play Teslagrad, and it works.
Projected buttons may just be made of light, but the touch response works as well as a touchscreen or touchpad.