MIT graduates James Patten and Ben Recht designed the Audiopad, an interactive tabletop system which tracks the position of objects and converts their motion into music.

” Audiopad has a matrix of antenna elements which track the positions of electronically tagged objects on a tabletop surface. Software translates the position information into music and graphical feedback on the tabletop. Each object represents either a musical track or a microphone. “

Reading the newspaper on a handheld during the morning commute makes perfect sense, if only for the convenience of not having to origami newsprint while standing on a bus. Soon — this year, in fact — portable electronic readers will take the technology into reality. The New York Times (registration required) reports that “e-paper” devices are being tested in Belgium by a financial daily. As opposed to the doomed e-readers of the late ’90s, new devices in development by both Sony and Philips have screens that reflect light rather than transmit it, making them look more like paper, says the Times. These second-generation readers are also enabled with Wi-Fi and Internet connectivity, making it possible to download updated information — crucial for up-to-date (and up-to-the-minute?) news. Additionally, publishing companies (including the Times) will be offering up content specifically formatted for e-readers. Of course, anyone with a smartphone or Internet-enabled PDA has likely been checking out up-to-the-minute news via the Web for some time now, but just wait for these e-readers to reach paper-thin proportions.