Microsoft licenses 'TouchLight' to EON Reality

Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday said it has licensed 3D technology it developed in its research division to a provider of visual content-management software and hardware.

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EON Reality Inc., in Irvine, California, is licensing Microsoft's "TouchLight" technology, which allows users to physically interact with 3D visual content by manipulating 3D images on a screen by hand.

The company said it will use the technology as part of its commercial, automotive, aerospace and defense industry product lines. EON Reality sells applications and hardware display systems for viewing and producing 3D content.

A demonstration of TouchLight can be found at this company page.

Microsoft is licensing TouchLight through its IP Ventures program, which gives emerging companies a jump start in developing their own products by letting them license early-stage technology from Microsoft. The company launched the program in May 2005.

Other companies that have licensed technology as part of the program are Enterprise Ireland, the Finnish National Fund for Research and Development (Sitra), Inrix Inc., Skinkers, Softedge-Systems, Vimio PLC and Wallop Inc.