From PC Mag: Microsoft first setup its research subsidiary way back in 1991. The intent was to solve difficult problems and advance the state-of-the-art in computing. That's great, but every so often the more than 1,000-strong team at Microsoft Research creates something that makes you, at least internally, go "wow."
Project Zanzibar is one of those creations. As the project website explains, the Zanzibar research team started with a simple thought, "What if we could blur the divide between the physical and digital worlds? What if you could play with physical toys, cards, and blocks, and watch your actions come alive on the screen?" The end result is a flexible, portable mat with state-of-the-art tech built-in.
As the video below shows, using Zanzibar allows you to interact with real-world objects. Simply place an object on the mat and see it come to life on screen. If you don't have a screen, audio enhancements are still available to use. Each object has a globally unique identifier, so not only is it recognized automatically, Zanzibar keeps a record of how you use an object and forms a history for it.
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