Copyright 2008
News Generation, Inc.

~ Annual TechFest innovation fair showcases technological advances to help search online or across distant galaxies and to improve the planet we live on ~

March 2008

REDMOND, WA - Whether people are searching online for a vacation hot spot, scanning the galaxy for distant planets or seeking ways to improve the environment on planet Earth, innovations from Microsoft Research could help deliver better results and entirely new experiences. TechFest 2008, an annual event that brings researchers from around the world together with people from across the company, is showcasing some of these innovations at Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond.

At TechFest, there are about 40 new technologies on display and dozens more that are only accessible to Microsoft employees. Several projects show how computing enables new experiences and how the basic tools of computer science are evolving to help all the sciences advance more rapidly.

• Lucid Touch - LucidTouch is a mobile-device that allows a user to control an application by touching the back of the device. Users have given feedback that they prefer to control a touch device from the back. By overlaying an image of the user's hands onto the screen, we create an illusion of the mobile device itself being semitransparent. LucidTouch also supports multitouch input, giving users an ability to operate the device simultaneously with all 10 fingers.

• Science for the 21st Century - Microsoft researchers address epidemics, bioengineering, climate change, species extinction, and even cancer using computer science. For example, researchers have created software to map models of ecosystems, such as between animals and plants and built real-time data gathering to improve scientific analysis of wildlife and forest dynamics.

• SearchTogether - SearchTogether allows a group of people to work together on Web search, at the same time or at different times from remote locations. They can see query histories, share comments and ratings, search results, session summaries and chat sessions.

• BEE3 - BEE3 is a hardware platform that lets researchers experiment with different computer architectures without using costly custom chips.

Founded in 1991, Microsoft Research is dedicated to conducting both basic and applied research in computer science and software engineering. Its goals are to enhance the user experience on computing devices, reduce the cost of writing and maintaining software, and invent novel computing technologies. More information can be found at www.research.microsoft.com.

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