A transparent computer that allows users to reach inside and touch digital content has been unveiled at the Technology, Education and Design (TED) conference in Los Angeles.
TED fellow Jinha Lee has been working on the SpaceTop 3D desktop in collaboration with Microsoft.
Allowing people to interact with machines in the same way they do with solid objects could make computing much more intuitive, he told the BBC.
He can see the system coming into general use within a decade.
The system consists of a transparent LED display with built-in cameras, which track the user's gestures and eye movements.
The design was inspired by what he sees as a human need to interact with things.
"Spatial memory, where the body intuitively remembers where things are, is a very human skill," he said.
Translating this to the digital world will enable people to use computers more easily as well as complete more complex tasks.
"If you are working on a document you can pick it up and flip through it like a book," he said.
For more precise tasks, where hand gestures are not accurate, there is a touchpad. It will allow, for example architects to manipulate 3D models.