The Microsoft project, called Kelsa+, is inspired by the by Sugata Mitra, who heads research and development at NIIT, a computer software and training company in New Delhi India.

Mitra set up an Internet console outside his office, which faces a slum, as an experiment. He gave no further instructions. Within a day, slum children who had never used a computer before had figured out how to point, click and browse the Internet.

The Microsoft researchers hope to continue their research and see Kelsa+ grow into a program that offers free, unrestricted access to Internet-connected PCs for low-income office workers in developing countries. It is, they believe, a simple and inexpensive way to help bridge the digital divide.