“Luminos” developed by University of Potsdam researchers can be stacked to form complicated structures on top of a Microsoft Surface screen, and the computer can map the building as it grows.

Each Lumino block has a pattern on its base that identifies its 3D shape, and the Surface table can read them using its four internal cameras that peer up at the acrylic top. That means the computer can build up a 3D picture of what lies on its surface.