Microsoft shows off predictive touchscreen

Microsoft is experimenting with display technology and has shown off a research project that would enable a smartphone's touchscreen to predict your movements.

The technology, called "pre-touch sensing," uses sensors embedded in a device to predict how and when you'll touch its display. It can detect how you're holding the phone as well as interactions with the display itself.

Microsoft highlights how this technology could work with a video app. When it senses a hand near the display, playback controls appear on screen. If you happen to be using your device one-handed, these controls will appear on the side where your hand is.