Microsoft doesn't believe hands are the only vehicle for driving computers.

Feet are equally valid for scrolling and cataloging e-mail and photos, among other tasks, according to researchers working in Microsoft's main Redmond research lab.

In fact, for those for whom hands are less of an option, as a result of disabilities or injuries, feet might be the optimal solution. Microsoft Research's StepUI, or Step User Interface, is custom-made for these individuals. And StepUI also could end up appealing to another group: Couch potatoes looking for a way to lose some weight while still surfing the Internet, Microsoft execs acknowledged.

StepUI is just one of 155 Microsoft Research projects that the company's five worldwide research labs will be demonstrating to Microsoft employees attending the company's TechFest event this week in Redmond.

With StepUI, users can use an off-the-shelf dance pad to perform simple e-mail commands, such as scroll, open, close, delte, flag and move messages into folders. They also can scroll and sort through digital photographs using the still-in-development interface. The pad can be located under a desk or up to ten feet away from a larger-screen monitor.

"People really like stomping with two feet to delete spam," said Kevin Schofield, general manager of strategy and communications at Microsoft Research. "And it raises your energy level and heart beat, which is good for sedentary health issues.

"We hope to also discover some real productivity benefits from not having to go back and forth from keyboard to the mouse all the time" via StepUI, as well, Schofield added.

Schofield noted that a dance pad isn't a requirement when test-driving StepUI. Customers also could mount a Bluetooth device on an ankle bracelet or shoe and still use the foot-powered interface to drive their applications.

"There are some applications and interfaces you want (to drive) just with your feet. Some you want to drive just with hands. And some with multimodal – both. It's all about choices," said Schofield.

In addition to StepUI, researchers will be showing off a variety of other projects that are under development at Microsoft Research.Asia Center for Interaction Design (ACID) will be demonstrating several new projects, including search in multiple languages. ACID has been focusing on how to perform a query in Chinese and get back documents in English, for example, Schofield said.

ACID also has been doing a lot of work around multimedia search, in terms of searching by images and searching for videos, he said.

Microsoft Research's India Lab will be showing off work it has done around the Virtual India Project in which it has been engaged. And Microsoft Research in Cambridge, England, will be highlighting work it has done around video conferencing and video chat in instant messaging, Schofield said.

Security projects also will be among the hot buttons at this week's TechFest, Schofield said.