Microsoft reveals latest innovations

Microsoft spent $7.5bn (£3.7bn) on research and development (R&D) in 2007, one of the largest investments in innovation in the industry.

Every year, the software giant’s TechFest conference allows employees to explore the latest company projects.

Vice president of research Rick Rashid said innovation is vital.

“You do not know what is around the corner ­ who your next competitor is, what the next big technology is, or what the next problem you are going to solve will be,” he told delegates at the conference.

“Research creates a reservoir of ideas, technology and people, that can then be brought to bear when times are bad. Research gives you the ability to survive when things change.”

Computing was invited to Microsoft’s Redmond headquarters to see the latest developments.

Smart devices

The Tiny Web Services scheme uses the “internet of objects” principle, which suggests that different appliances can work together for more efficient operation.
Miniature battery-powered transmitters are attached to devices such as smoke detectors, sending information to a single network in a home or office.

These connections pave the way for programs that can create a common language between different devices.

Researcher Aman Kansal trialled an application in his home that adjusted heat and light levels in response to changing energy prices. Kansal claimed to have reduced his power bill by 24 per cent without any noticeable drop in comfort.

Energy savings are also the key goal of Microsoft’s Auto-Shift technology, which aims to cut the demanding power consumption of servers and data centres.

Traditionally the response to this problem involves switching off unnecessary servers, but this can lead to reduced performance with demanding applications such as instant messenger tools.

The new system can accurately predict when spikes in server demand will occur, which will allow hibernating devices to switch on in advance to maintain a steady service.

Thermal sensors installed around a server can help to detect which areas are generating the most heat and require attention, reducing the air conditioning workload.

RFID and mobile communications

Microsoft’s SixthSense project from its Indian research centre uses radio frequency ID tags (RFID) and CCTV cameras equipped with sensors to improve security. Every significant object in a building is fitted with a chip and registered on a database, allowing CCTV to see its location.

Looking for an object is simply a matter of searching for when its movement was last picked up on camera, which will summon relevant footage ­ including anyone who was in the vicinity at the time.

A separate sensor-based project aims to harness the ubiquity of mobile phones for widespread data collection. With technology such as Bluetooth and in-built microphones, users can capture data relating to their surroundings and relay it to a server for further analysis.

For example, a mobile device can be used to record bumps in the path of a car to help to detect potholes on busy roads. Monitoring noise levels could help identify busy junctions.

Researchers suggested that an opt-in system with accumulative rewards could be used to attract participation from the public.

Collaborative search

Search engines often prove cumbersome when used by multiple researchers or project team members working towards a common objective.

Co-operating workers in separate locations may overlap investigations without realising, while a group sharing a single computer may be frustrated by the limited options for direct interaction.

Microsoft is working on two new user interfaces that address these hurdles. SearchTogether is an application designed to unite remote users, allowing people to simultaneously conduct research while keeping track of what their partners are doing.

The results from a single search query can be split between multiple users, sharing the workload and allowing specialised team members to handle specified sites, such as those that use technical terminology.

A simplified messaging service allows discussion of the task in hand, and a clipboard-style service saves a list of collected information, which can be exported for future use.

Similar data management tools are available to the users of CoSearch, which allows several people to work on one computer.

While one person operates the mouse, up to three others can direct on-screen pointers using their mobile phones ­ with the added ability to browse web pages on their handsets.

Microsoft predicts that such technology could be particularly useful in developing countries, where access to mobiles is more prevalent than PCs.

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