D-touch: A Consumer-Grade Tangible Interface Module and Musical Applications

We define a class of tangible media applications that can be implemented on consumer-grade personal computers. These applications interpret user manipulation of physical objects in a restricted space and produce unlocalized outputs. We propose a generic approach to the implementation of such interfaces using flexible fiducial markers, which identify objects to a robust and fast video-processing algorithm, so they can be recognized and tracked in real time. We describe an implementation of the technology, then report two new, flexible music performance applications that demonstrate and validate it

Beyond representations: towards an action-centric perspective on tangible interaction

In the light of theoretical as well as concrete technical development, we discuss a conceptual shift from an information-centric to an action-centric perspective on tangible interactive technology. We explicitly emphasise the qualities of shareable use, and the importance of designing tangibles that allow for meaningful manipulation and control of the digital material. This involves a broadened focus from studying properties of the interface, to instead aim for qualities of the activity of using a system, a general tendency towards designing for social and sharable use settings and an increased openness towards multiple and subjective interpretations. An effect of this is that tangibles are not designed as representations of data, but as resources for action. We discuss four ways that tangible artefacts work as resources for action: (1) for physical manipulation; (2) for referential, social and contextually oriented action; (3) for perception and sensory experience; (4) for digitally mediated action

From research to design: Perspectives on early years and digital technologies

The three papers explore how we can use existing research traditions to create challenging new directions for design and development of technologies for the early years. The papers focus on literacy, numeracy and reflections on the design process

Tangible user interfaces : past, present and future directions

In the last two decades, Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) have emerged as a new interface type that interlinks the digital and physical worlds. Drawing upon users' knowledge and skills of interaction with the real non-digital world, TUIs show a potential to enhance the way in which people interact with and leverage digital information. However, TUI research is still in its infancy and extensive research is required in or- der to fully understand the implications of tangible user interfaces, to develop technologies that further bridge the digital and the physical, and to guide TUI design with empirical knowledge. This paper examines the existing body of work on Tangible User In- terfaces. We start by sketching the history of tangible user interfaces, examining the intellectual origins of this field. We then present TUIs in a broader context, survey application domains, and review frame- works and taxonomies. We also discuss conceptual foundations of TUIs including perspectives from cognitive sciences, phycology, and philoso- phy. Methods and technologies for designing, building, and evaluating TUIs are also addressed. Finally, we discuss the strengths and limita- tions of TUIs and chart directions for future research

A comparison of spatial organization strategies in graphical and tangible user interfaces

We present a study comparing how people use space in a Tangible User Interface (TUI) and in a Graphical User Interface (GUI). We asked subjects to read ten summaries of recent news articles and to think about the relationships between them. In our TUI condition, we bound each of the summaries to one of ten visually identical wooden blocks. In our GUI condition, each summary was represented by an icon on the screen. We asked subjects to indicate the location of each summary by pointing to the corresponding icon or wooden block. Afterward, we interviewed them about the strategies they used to position the blocks or icons during the task. We observed that TUI subjects performed better at the location recall task than GUI subjects. In addition, some TUI subjects used the spatial relationship between specific blocks and parts of the environment to help them remember the content of those blocks, while GUI subjects did not do this. Those TUI subjects who reported encoding information using this strategy tended to perform better at the recall task than those who did not

Uncovering the dynamics of everyday life through playful modeling

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2007.Includes bibliographical references (p. 148-157).It is not easy to understand the dynamics underlying everyday life. The change around us is so ubiquitous; the processes governing change are invisible; the relationships between cause & effect are usually disconnected in time or space, and probabilistic causation adds uncertainty to the mix. This dissertation is about a new modeling language and a tangible simulation environment that together help children gain an intuitive understanding of the dynamics underlying everyday life phenomena, from fashion trends and financial markets fluctuations to vicious cycles of violence and virtuous cycles of popularity growth. I present the Flowness modeling language, a unique combination of Systems Thinking languages that results in an intuitive-to-understand yet computationally simulate-able language. I present FlowBlocks: a tangible learning technology designed in the spirit of early childhood construction kits (a field pioneered by Friedrich Froebel), with special attention to physical representation of abstract concepts (a field pioneered by Maria Montessori). FlowBlocks are a set of wooden blocks with embedded computation that simulate continuous flow using a moving light signal, making dynamic processes visible and manipulable.(cont.) I provide evidence that playful modeling using FlowBlocks is not only engaging for children but indeed helps them pay attention to the underlying causality of everyday life situations. Moreover, I show that a FlowBlocks workshop helps middle-school aged students understand core Systems Thinking concepts such as Inflows, Stocks, Outflows, Positive Feedback, and Negative Feedback - by generating their own analogies using FlowBlocks as an interactive model. I conclude that Flowness + FlowBlocks can serve as an effective learning aid to introduce children to Systems Thinking concepts in a collaborative playful modeling process, and develop children's intuitive understanding of the dynamics underlying everyday life situations.by Oren Zuckerman.S.M

Gestures and cooperation: considering non verbal communication in the design of interactive spaces

This dissertation explores the role of gestures in computer supported collaboration. People make extensive use of non-verbal forms of communication when they interact with each other in everyday life: of these, gestures are relatively easy to observe and quantify. However, the role of gestures in human computer interaction so far has been focused mainly on using conventional signs like visible commands, rather than on exploiting all nuances of such natural human skill. We propose a perspective on natural interaction that builds on recent advances in tangible interaction, embodiment and computer supported collaborative work. We consider the social and cognitive aspects of gestures and manipulations to support our claim of a primacy of tangible and multi-touch interfaces, and describe our experiences focused on assessing the suitability of such interface paradigms to traditional application scenarios. We describe our design and prototype of an interactive space for group-work, in which natural interfaces, such as tangible user interfaces and multi-touch screens, are deployed so as to foster and encourage collaboration. We show that these interfaces can lead to an improvement in performances and that such improvements appear related to an increase of the gestures performed by the users. We also describe the progress on the state of the art that have been necessary to implement such tools on commodity hardware and deploy them in a relatively uncontrolled environment. Finally, we discuss our findings and frame them in the broader context of embodied interaction, drawing useful implications for interactions design, with emphasis on how to enhance the activity of people in their workplace, home, school, etc. supported in their individual and collaborative tasks by natural interfaces