reg:exp: Concrete TUI Examples

January 18, 2005

Concrete TUI Examples

What kind of applications would users of a TUI prototyping toolkit actually want to build? I have compiled a list of existing products and devices that make use of tangible interaction techniques. This list is meant to serve as a real-word check of what our toolkit should be able to support. The chosen systems can be roughly categorized by target audience as follows:

Product designers: Rapid prototyping support for product designers during early design stages. I looked at the annual design reviews (ADR) and the student design reviews (SDR) published by ID magazine for examples of what kind of TUIs people are building and also browsed IDEO's portfolio for further inspiration. Other award-bestowing publications: IDSA - IDEA competition; G-mark Good Design; iF Design Awards; Red Dot.
- New interfaces for host PC-based applications.
  Examples: Digidesign Digi002, Navigator Presentation Remote
- Small mobile devices:
  - Dedicated functionality
    Examples: Apple iPod, Argus Thermal Imaging Camera, Yeoman Map Plotter
  - High-bandwidth, high-attention universal communication centers
    Examples: PalmOne Treo, iPaq
  - Wearables/low-bandwidth,peripheral devices
    Examples: Burton Shield iPod Jacket, Ambient Orb, Queen's Baton
- Interactive toys, musical instruments for consumers, technology for kids
  Examples: Topobo, Furby, I/O Brush, Yamaha Wind Controller
- Large or static devices, home technology
  Examples: Steelcase Roomwizard, HealthBuddy, Home automation systems (external)
End-users: end-user programming (EUP) for household applicances.
Examples: ???
Artists: support for installations and experimental interactions.
Examples: The emperor's new clothes, The Slidepipe (external link), SIGGRAPH Emerging Technologies (external link)
Researchers: support for projects that incorporate TUIs as a feature but not as the main focus. Researchers need to be able to easily construct and modify their designs.
Examples: Storymat, Sam
Also review projects from Ishii's Tangible Media group (external link)

Note: Too many of the present examples can be described as "small boxes with a couple of buttons." More examples for large-scale technologies are needed.

Digidesign DIGI 002 MIXER
Firewire control deck for ProTools audio editing software. Challenging because it has a plethora of interface elements. Bidirectional communication between software on host PC and the mixer: faders control software parameters, but are also motorized and can be moved from the software. (from ADR03)

Navigator Presentation Remote
A PowerPoint remote control with built-in laser pointer. We should be able to prototype this device very quickly. Only potential challenge: small form factor. (from ADR03)

ARGUS3 THERMAL IMAGING CAMERA
Aides vision for firefighters in dark or smoke-filled environments. Has thermal sensors in addition to normal lens (how would we hook these into our environment?) and an option of wireless video telemetry. User interface only uses three buttons for all functionality. (from ADR03)

Apple iPod
Harddisk-based mobile MP3 player. This has been our running example for a while. Difficulties here: How do you prototype the clickwheel? In addition to the player itself, the interplay between player and host-PC software is also something our prototyping app needs to address. (from ADR02)

PalmOne Treo 650
How do you prototype a mobile software platform? High density of interaction elements in small space.

Burton Shield iPod Jacket
Snowboarding jacket with media playback control built into the sleeve. Inner pocket has connector for iPod (other players will not work with the fabric buttons).

The Emperor's new clothes installation
Exhibition at New York's Artists Space where visitors carry virtual clothes on hangers and try them on in booths that project digital images onto a mirror. (ADR02)

Yeoman Map Plotter
Designed by IDEO. Links paper-based maps to GPS systems. "Once initialized, it will show your GPS position on any map or chart. The Yoeman (sic) consists of an electronic pad which acts as the mapboard, and a "mouse" which guides you to your position on the map with a series of indicator lights. The mouse display also shows position coordinates, speed, direction, and direction and time to the next location on your route." (source)

Health Buddy
Designed by IDEO. Device elicits patient self-reports and automatically sends data to care providers for monitoring and tracking through phone connection. (2nd link)

Steelcase Room Wizard (IDEO)
Shows reservation information for meeting rooms, allows in-situ reservation via touchscreen, syncs to Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange/Outlook for software-based reservations.

Yamaha Wind MIDI Controller
Breath-based MIDI controller. Button press, pressure and breath data is converted into MIDI messages which can be used to control any MIDI-compatible synthesizer.

Kimiko Ryokai - Storymat (MIT Media Lab)
A listening system built around a sensor-equipped play mat that elicits storytelling from children.

Sam(MIT Media Lab)
A 3D virtual play pal that interacts with kids using a physical RFID-equipped castle.

The Queen's Baton (IDEO)
"Inside the Baton, sensors detect and synchonize with each new runner's pulse rate, conveying it to a series of LEDs via a light behavior module. The lens then transforms the LEDs into a dramatic blade of pulsating light."

Ambient Orb
Peripheral display that changes colors and blinks in response to data (stock quotes, weather) received over a wireless connection.

Tobobo (MIT Media Lab)
"Topobo is a 3D constructive assembly system with kinetic memory, the ability to record and playback physical motion. Unique among modeling systems is Topobo�s coincident physical input and output behaviors."

FurbyLearning toy with motorized facial displays and "speech" output. Different Furbys exchange information wirelessly when brought into proximity.

I/O Brush (MIT Media Lab)
A virtual drawing device that allows users to "pick up" colors from their real world surroundings using the camera built into the brush and then paint with that color on a projection-based virtual canvas.

Other examples:

Posted by Bjoern Hartmann at January 18, 2005 10:27 AM