Tech Shout!

Microsoft has announced its latest array of innovations, amongst which there’s a game that teaches 4-year-old children computer programming and there’s also a “telescope” program that allows computer users to navigate the universe. The announcement were made at the Microsoft Research TechFest 2007.

Microsoft has created an Xbox game, where the children can program a robot in a simulated world to interact, travel among various objects created by them, and even eat a virtual apple. This initiative by Microsoft is to basically grow children’s interest in computer programming.

Microsoft Research’s Vice President Rick Rashid said, “There is an ongoing and deepening crisis in computer science. Our goal is to stem the tide by showing young kids the magic of software programming.”

“It’s very much like playing a game,” Rashid said, adding children as young as four years of age can play the game.

Microsoft’s telescope program turns the personal computer into a sort of a powerful telescope by drawing on tens of millions of digital images of stars, galaxies and quasars from Sloan Digital Sky Survey, a grand astronomical project started several years ago to map a large part of the Universe.

“What we have done is to give people the ability to become digital astronauts. You can explore deep space form the comfort of your living room,” Rashid maintained.

Researchers plan to add rich media narrative to the images to create compelling learning experiences. “These will be tantamount to guided tours of the universe,” Rashid said.

Microsoft Research TechFest 2007 took off on March 6. It is the company’s annual showcase of research projects, unveiling over 100 innovations. At TechFest, researchers and product teams form close and lasting ties to jointly advance the frontiers of computing for the industry and customers.