Physical interaction is really important when engaging in discussions over a shared space (table).
What if we could add physical objects to our table and have them become live by augmentation? What if remote participants could interact and/or augment the objects on the physical table?
Here are two good example movies showing how this could realized:
Intel Labs Oasis.
http://youtu.be/6LHdGIBSq9s
More info: http://techresearch.intel.com/ProjectDetails.aspx?Id=84&wapkw=oasis
IllumiShare from Microsoft Research. http://youtu.be/ewmw8fUTa0Y
Both these examples show how to enhance a local physical table with a projector and object recognition.