HP Confirms Sprout "Immersive Computer"

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HP reveals the first "Blended Reality" product-- the Sprout, a desktop PC HP says "combines the power of an advanced desktop computer with an immersive, natural user interface to create a new computing experience."

HP SproutFrom a distance the Sprout looks like an All-in-One PC, only the keyboard is replaced by a mat and what looks like an desk lamp hangs on top of a 23-inch touchscreen. However the "mat" is actually a capacitative touch surface, and the "desk lamp" combines an Intel RealSense 3D camera, 14.6MP camera and a DLP projector beaming a work surface on the mat.

The idea behind the Sprout is users can scan objects before manipulating them directly with their fingers using either touchscreen or touch surface. In other words, it is a bit like the holographic computer Tony Stark uses to create his robot suits in the Iron Man films.

The Sprout appears aimed at creative professionals and prosumers, but HP also shows a more consumer-friendly side to the PC with a Sprout-optimised version of game Castle Crashers. On the software side the company also provides a Sprout Marketplace, an online store for Sprout-friendly applications.

HP 3d PrinterIn more HP news the company announces a new 3D printing technology-- "Multi Jet Fusion," a process promising greater precision than fusion deposition printers while being cheaper and faster than selective laser sintering printers.

Built on HP's Thermal Inkjet technology, the Multi Jet Fusion process uses 3D printheads able to simultaneously operate 10000 nozzles while tracking designs to up to 5-micron precision. The nozzles also handle the use of additional agents, allowing the printing of multicolour objects, and even the control of property such as elasticity or opacity.

The Sprout will be available in select HP channels from November 2015, while the company's take on 3D printing should hit the market from 2016.

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