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Tangible Interfaces

Tangible Interfaces. Readings.

alana-huff
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Tangible Interfaces

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  1. Tangible Interfaces

  2. Readings • Hiroshi Ishii, Brygg Ullmer, “Tangible Bits: Towards Seamless Interfaces between People, Bits and Atoms”, Proceedings of CHI ’97, March 1997, pp. 234-241.http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/258549.258715 Better figures here: http://www.acm.org/sigchi/chi97/proceedings/paper/hi.htm • Roy Want, Kenneth Fishkin, Anuj Gujar, Beverly Harrison, “Bridging Physical and Virtual Worlds with Electronic Tags”, Proceedings of CHI ’99, May 1999, pp. 370-377.http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/302979.303111

  3. More Readings • Jun Rekimoto, Brygg Ullmer, Haruo Oba, “DataTiles: A Modular for Mixed Physical and Graphical Interactions”, Proceedings of CHI ’01, March 2001, pp. 269-276.http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/365024.365115 • Jun Rekimoto, Eduardo Sciammarella, “ToolStone: Effective Use of the Physical Manipulation Vocabularies of Input Devices”, Proceedings of UIST ’00, Nov. 2000, pp. 109-117.http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/354401.354421

  4. Supplemental Readings • John Underkoffler, Hiroshi Ishii, “Urp: A Luminous-Tangible Workbench for Urban Planning and Design”, Proceedings of CHI ’99, May 1999, pp. 386-393.http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/302979.303114 • Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace, 1869, English translation by Rosemary Edmonds, Viking Press, 1982. http://www.online-literature.com/tolstoy/war_and_peace/

  5. Motivation • Desire to remove divide between electronic and physical worlds • Bring benefits of computation (the virtual world) beyond confines of the screen, to the rest of life • Ubiquitous computing (Weiser) • Augmented reality • Making crossing between “bits and atoms” seamless (or at least a lot easier) • Put information “in our hands” in a rather literal way

  6. Motivation (cont) • “Spatial thinking” • Concrete • Like sketching: fluid, natural, dexterous actions • (Graspable) physical objects provide strong affordances (much closer to real affordances instead of virtual) • Different sets of thinking / reasoning skills • Used to say “visual specification for visual things” • E.g., UI layout • “spatial specification for spatial things”

  7. In “Tangible Bits” paperIshii Promotes Three Concepts • Interactive surfaces • Transform (all?) surfaces into an interface • (Really nothing special about “surfaces” except that they are convenient to work with at this stage) • Coupling of bits to atoms • Couple information associated with (relevant to) physical objects to the objects • Provide direct access to info from object • Right information is always “at hand” • Ambient media • Ability to use the periphery of attention and move between the periphery and center of attention

  8. Prior Work Examples (From Ishii’s “Tangible Bits”) • DigitalDesk • Wellner, EuroParc • Desk with top-projected video • Camera tracking from above • Digitizing tablet • Microphone • On surface

  9. DigitalDesk (cont) • Interact with real paper • Digitize with camera (eventually) and recognize action gestures • Augmented with video from above • Used microphone to detect “taps” • Difficult to detect contact via video alone

  10. Prior Work Examples (From Ishii’s “Tangible Bits”) • Marble Answering Machine • Durrell Bishop, RCA • Marbles represent calls • Put marble in indentation to play message • Another spot to call back • Live Wire • Natalie Jeremijenko, Xerox PARC • String turned slightly on each Ethernet packet • Making invisible bits visible/tangible

  11. Ishii’s work in “Tangible Bits” paper • metaDesk • Rear projected video (the bits) • Physical objects tracked on top (the atoms) • Manipulating physical objs affects the bits (not rev)

  12. metaDesk

  13. Applications of MetaDesk • Tangible Geospace • Map manipulation via phicons, etc. • Two phicons (representing particular places) allow very easy manipulations of position, orientation, and scale of the map • Solid Plexiglas shape • Active lens gives 3D views • LCD display on a tracked arm • Passive lens gives augmented or filtered 2d views • Clear lens • Change the projected display under the lens!

  14. MetaDesk Issues • Good demo, but not a real application • Solid and compelling apps for tangible interaction still somewhat of an issue, overall • Seems very compelling, but is their really a big benefit • Seems somewhat domain specific (see URP & ToonTown later) • Do I have to have a new physical object for every command/parameter/whatnot? • Loosing some of the extreme flexibility of the virtual world • Big research issues: How do we find the right mix of physical / virtual to get good properties of both?

  15. AmbientRoom • Video

  16. AmbientRoom • Interesting things here: • Ambient displays • Aesthetics important • A start on user defined mappings • Does this scale? • What about all the “hidden state” (can’t see what you’ve spec’ed)? • Physical containers for information • Issues • Hamster awareness !?! • Again, missing a compelling application

  17. TransBoard • Augmented whiteboard • Tracked pens, front projected image • Looking at “surfaces which absorb information from the physical world” • Collaborage we saw earlier (but done later) was similar but probably more compelling

  18. Additional Apps for MetaDesk • Illuminating Light • Optical bench simulation • “I/O bulb” concept • New color bar tracking (from above) Video…

  19. Additional Apps for MetaDesk • URP • Urban planning app • Physical objects cast virtual shadows and reflections • Wind flow simulation • Tools for making measurements

  20. Finding a good mix of physical and virtual: DataTiles (Rekimoto) • LCD with pen input • Transparent tiles • May have preprinted information • May have groves affording particular interactions • Sit on pedestals • Serve as ID readers for tiles

  21. DataTiles • Appearance is combination of display and pre-printed • Grooves afford particular actions (labeled as to purpose)

  22. Interesting tiles • Containers • Copy virtual objects, settings, etc. to a tile • Set aside until later • Parameters • Search times with parameters • Dynamic query on (preprinted) map tile • Grooves for sliders

  23. Interesting tiles (cont) • Actions • Print • Generic print tile • Set next to object, join with gesture, fill in print dialog • Time machine • Show previous states of another tile • “Clock” grooves with appropriate dynamic feedback • Remote interaction tiles • Shared drawing surface with remote participants

  24. Physical / virtual or generic / concrete balance • Note that a range of interaction techniques are possible along scale of very concrete and pre-determined to very generic • Also static to dynamic and physical to virtual • Composition mechanism allows fairly pre-determined tiles to have much more utility • General lesson: simple actions + composition • Each small and simple • Let combinatorics take over to give wide expressive range, but with (potentially) less overall complexity

  25. Generally useful technology in this domain: Tagging objects

  26. Tagging Objects • Several technologies (see below) for tagging objects to enable sensing of identity • Objects brought into proximity of special reader • Range varies: room to a few cm • Reader determines a unique identifier for object • Typically a unique number • Note that 64 bits is probably enough to uniquely tag every individual object ever manufactured • every CD, ever can of soup, every page of paper • Even 32 bits goes a long way (4 billion unique IDs) • 96-128 bits is better (can partition ID space conveniently)

  27. Fun with IDs • A number of things you can do with an ID • If you have network connectivity (or can cache) at the reader then any identifiable object can have an arbitrary amount of data attached to it • Look up the ID in a database to retrieve “attached data” • Data can be general info, commands, parameters, anything, … • Attached object can be static or dynamic • Can also do this with a local database if info is local • Object can now be a surrogate for the data • Arbitrary data (incl. arbitrary programs)  very powerful

  28. Identified Objects Can Act as • Container • Can (appear to) put in, carry away, and (later/elsewhere) take out (arbitrary) data • User ID • Can serve to represent / identify a person • Context ID • Can serve to identify a place • Can indicate the presence of a piece of equipment • Provide handle for accessing it • E.g., walk into a room with a printer and get access to its queue • Actions to be performed • Set of attributes / parameters / settings

  29. ID Technologies • Printed Bar Codes • Read by optical scanner • Laser or other • Usually close contact, but can be done at a distance • Typical read error rates: 1 per 10,000 • Most common: UPC on all retail items • Most common: 10 decimal digits + prefix & check digits • Enough for every kind of soup, but not every individual can

  30. Bar Codes (cont) • Can also store a lot more data • See: PA vehicle registration UPS “maxicode” • Advantages of bar codes • Very cheap (just print them with a printer) • No battery needed for tag • Reliable, readers relatively cheap • Disadvantages • Requires contact (and/or careful alignment) • Only work on relatively flat/smooth surfaces • Ugly

  31. Aside: Can get rid of Ugliness • Xerox DataGlyph technology designed to look better • Appears as a textured gray region • Relatively high density • Also survives bad faxes and other distortions well

  32. IR Beacons • Encode ID in pulses of (invisible) infrared light • Same technology as TV remotes (cheap & easy) • ID sent periodically (typically every few seconds) • Applications • Fixed beacons to indicate place • Example: HP CoolTown project • Emits URL of web page giving access to services (e.g., print queue for printer, or control of projector) in room • Active Badges identify location of a person

  33. Other Interesting ID Mechanisms • Contact tags, magnetic stripe, and smart cards • For limited sets of objects: weight them • 0.1 gram resolution scales distinguish most objects • Issues with “wear and tear” • May want to augment with vision • Fingerprints • User fingertips as data repositories (!) • Virtually “pick up” arbitrary data, carry, and “drop” it. • Another potential app: 10 actions for 1 button

  34. RFID Tags • Probably most generally useful technology • Reader has a typically large coil • Emits RF at a particular frequency • Tag has a typically small coil • Inductively couples with reader • Draws power from it (no batteries in tag) • Modulates its load on inductive coupling to send information back to the reader

  35. A variety of form factors for tags

  36. Different tag properties • Embedded processors • Persistent memory • Single read vs. multiple • Multiple requires special protocol with reader • Implies a processor • Differing read ranges • Typical 10cm • With “active” tags (battery) can get longer (10m)

  37. Advantages (from Want paper) • Robustness • Designed to work in harsh environments • Inside dogs, on pigs ears, nailed into wood,under labels at K-Mart • No maintenance • Post-hoc augmentation • Can typically be hidden (no aesthetic costs) • Small and can be embedded in lots of things • Easily sensed • Doesn’t require direct contact, line of sight, or alignment

  38. Disadvantages (from Want paper) • Need interface for associating meaning with objects • Not particular to RFID tags • Knowing what is tagged • Hidden tags mean no affordance

  39. A good application using object identification • ToonTown access control interface in the SomeWire audio space Andrew Singer, Debby Hindus, Lisa Stifelman, and Sean White, “Tangible Progress: Less Is More In Somewire Audio Spaces”, Proceedings of CHI ’99, May 1999, pp. 104-111, 625. http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/302979.303007

  40. ToonTown • Shared audio system with reciprocity • Needs good access control • “Who can hear me” (awareness and easy control) • Also supported localization of the audio • Can place participants left, right, etc. • Place “cartoon characters” (small dolls) on trays to represent people • RF Tag in the bottom of each doll, readers in tray

  41. ToonTown • On tray  can hear and be heard • Clear visibility, easy to manipulate • Downside: doesn’t scale (but not clear what would)

  42. ToonTown • Location on tray also controls apparent sound source location and volume • Note spots at right for other UI functions

  43. Toolstones • An input device • Not exclusively tangible (used with GUIs), but a lot to do with grasp and touch • Device designed for use by non-dominant hand • Typically with a pen or other pointer in the dominant hand • Note: In most GUIs if you aren’t typing you might as well sit on your other hand • May be intermittent • Adjust, work with primary hand, adjust, etc.

  44. About bimanual operations (cooperative between hands) • Hands tend to take on different roles • A lot more than a “hand preference” or “stronger hand” • Semantically different actions by dominant and non-dominant hands • Seminal work Yves Guiard, “Asymmetric Division of Labor in Human Skilled Bimanual Action: The Kinematic Chain as a Model”, Journal of Motor Behavior, Vol. 19, No. 4, 1987, pp. 486-517.http://cogprints.soton.ac.uk/documents/disk0/00/00/06/25/

  45. Three key observations from Guiard (Assuming right-handed -- tendencies somewhat less clear left-handers) • Left hand sets context for right • Left provides overall positioning and orientation for detail work of right • E.g., left holds fabric, right stitches where fabric held

  46. Three key observations from Guiard (cont) • Tendency for larger scale and lower frequency movements by the left hand • Larger, courser, slower motions by left • Smaller, more precise, faster motions by right • Motion by left hand tend to precede those of the right • Position objects before acting on them • Pick up the cloth before sewing it

  47. Working with these tendencies • Taking proper advantage of different roles (rather than just subdividing the work) can provide better/smoother performance • ToolStone device designed for non-dominant hand • Will see for tasks like selecting color from palette instead of tasks like painting

  48. ToolStones • Rectangular device • Each of 6 faces • Distinguishable by touch alone (via size and/or marker) • Works with a digitizing tablet • Uses components from particular type of tablet • Provides constrained six degree of freedom (6 DOF) sensing • X,Y,Z position • 3 degrees of orientation (e.g., tilt, yaw roll) • constrained because stone must stay in contact with the surface • typically one face must be on surface, but version supporting tilting on edges also possible

  49. Sensing • Quantize possible positions and orientations out of full 6DOF space • 8 Directions • On 6 different faces • Also track x,y position on tablet

  50. Sensing • Implemented using guts from 3 tablet pens

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