Architec Tradure

Category: interaction design

  • 31JulThe next UI breakthrough, physicality?

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    The Design of Future Things by Donald A. Norman

    A discussion by Donald A. Norman on the passage from Graphical User Interfaces, especially command line based, to Tangible User Interfaces, in particular motion based interfaces.

    Introduction

    In my previous column I discussed the reemergence of command line language. Once these were the ways we used our operating systems and applications. Now they are reemerging within search engines. They are hidden and not easy to learn about, but I expect them to grow in power and, over time, become the dominant means of interaction.

    In this column I will talk about a second trend, one that also has much earlier origins: the return to physical controls and devices. In the theoretical fields that underlie our field, this is called embodiment: See Paul Dourish’s book, Where the Action Is. But the trend is far more extensive than is covered by research on tangible objects, and somewhat different from the philosophical foundations implied by embodiment, so I use the term “physicality.”

    Physicality: the return to physical devices, where we control things by physical body movement, by turning, moving, and manipulating appropriate mechanical devices.

    Reference

    Norman, D. A. 2007. The next UI breakthrough, part 2: physicality. interactions 14, 4 (Jul. 2007), 46-47.

    Column on Command Line Interfaces available online

    Full paper available at the ACM digital library


  • 05SepOperation for adults!

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    Operation, game by Hasbro

    Today, I met with TMG alumni Paul Yarin. One of his latest project, the interactive sensing module for laparoscopic trainer, developed with Wendy Plesniak reminded me of the funniest childhood game Operation created by Hasbro. The child practices coordination skills by removing the patients symptoms with the tweezers.

    The sophisticated and impressive Interactive sensing module for laparoscopic trainer is a self-contained simulator for structured testing and training of skills used in laparoscopic surgery. Digital video and electronic sensors capture user performance and is approved to be used by medical centers to train and test critical laparoscopic skills. This is such a clever implementation. The advantages of physical objects as tools and the power of computer simulation are combined at their best.

    “This interactive laparoscopic training simulator combines the best of physical and virtual simulation into a plug ‘n’ play solution. It combines validated physical reality exercises, computerized assessment, and validated McGill Metrics. Electronic sensors and digital video capture user performance with a PC interface.”



    An example of practice task

    Real Laparoscopic Simulation’s web site


  • 21SepAmbient clock for elders

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    At Interact 2007, I discovered the work of Yann Riche and Wendy Mackay.

    He presented the MarkerClock, an ambient clock for elders.

    Pdf of the paper.

    Seniors support one another through routines and through shared awareness. The MarkerClock facilitates the sharing and awareness of routines among elders. Built upon seniors’ stories of their daily life, it invites for reciprocal care behaviors.

    The clock appears as ambient and non intrusive by giving symbolic graphical information on the user’s activity. For instance, if Beatrice goes to the market in the morning, this information is coordinated with the clock and displayed graphically as “absent”. Because her friend knows she is at the market, it appears as normal.



    Examples of a) users’ codes, b) user’s motion trace

    During user observations, an elder explained that she sends a signal by ringing 3 times the phone of her friend so that her friend can assess that she is all right. Users originally invented strategies, such as this code, to be aware of each other’s lives. The design rationale integrates these findings into the augmented clock. It embeds active and passive communication and do so by simply detecting the user’s motions in front of it, directly measuring the senior’s activity.


  • 21SepAmbient clock for elders

    If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed to receive the latest Architectradure’s articles in your reader or via email. Thanks for visiting!

    At Interact 2007, I discovered the work of Yann Riche and Wendy Mackay.

    He presented the MarkerClock, an ambient clock for elders.

    Pdf of the paper.

    Seniors support one another through routines and through shared awareness. The MarkerClock facilitates the sharing and awareness of routines among elders. Built upon seniors’ stories of their daily life, it invites for reciprocal care behaviors.

    The clock appears as ambient and non intrusive by giving symbolic graphical information on the user’s activity. For instance, if Beatrice goes to the market in the morning, this information is coordinated with the clock and displayed graphically as “absent”. Because her friend knows she is at the market, it appears as normal.



    Examples of a) users’ codes, b) user’s motion trace

    During user observations, an elder explained that she sends a signal by ringing 3 times the phone of her friend so that her friend can assess that she is all right. Users originally invented strategies, such as this code, to be aware of each other’s lives. The design rationale integrates these findings into the augmented clock. It embeds active and passive communication and do so by simply detecting the user’s motions in front of it, directly measuring the senior’s activity.


  • 01OctLifestyle in 2057

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    2057 EP1 The Body featured on Discovery Channel offers mixed information between current research explorations and fictional scenarios of our lifestyle in 2057.

    It is a nice effort in considering what is being done in HCI and medical research which converges into everyday scenarios. Under its over dramatic tone, the examples are sometimes tacky and stereotypical. The show could have incorporated other important issues such as affordable cutting edge technological solutions for the rest of world.

    This video is fun and accessible. I loved the transplantation of a human heart, heart that can be 3d printed! Presenting a vision for a future lifestyle, this video reminds me of the American Look (1958): America lifestyle in the 50’s with its *idealistic* sense for design.


  • 26DecAlgorithmic film assembly using toy gestures

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    A new input device for video capturing and editing! Designed for young children, ages five and up, it allows them to craft compelling movies through the motion analysis of their interaction with toys.



    A child playing with Picture This and his Naruto action figure

    Continuing my research on perspective taking and tangible video editing, I recently finished the development of Picture This, a video editing and capturing device designed for young children. It allows them to craft compelling movies through the motion analysis of their interaction with toys. Children’s favorite props alternate between characters and cameramen in a film. As children play with the toys to act out a story, they conduct algorithmic film assembly.

    Picture This’s web site.

    In my prior work, Moving Pictures, I wanted to offer children the opportunity to gather imagery from their environment in the form of short video clips captured on video camera platforms modified for the application. I wanted to provide a transparent experience for the user, in which the cumbersome process of capturing and editing becomes fluid in the improvisation of a story and accessible as a way to create a final movie.

    Web site for my past work on Moving Pictures.

    Tangible interfaces combine operations on physical objects with digital data. I have sought to develop interfaces where either digital data can be overlaid onto physical objects in a display space or physical objects can act as handles into the digital space. The tangible handle is more than a marker or place-holder for digital data. It has the power to materialize and redefine our conception of space and content during the creative process.

    If the toy had a visual perspective immediately accessible to the child, a new world would be opened to her. The toy could potentially bring the child into exploring visual and narrative perspectives of these character props, expanding her discovery and understanding of social interrelationships.

    A video snippet of Picture This and a 6 minutes video for its interaction design.

    The Picture this tool is an audiovisual device that combines two digital video cameras and two accelerometers. The tool captures motions, video and sound in real-time while an algorithmic video editing system composes a movie from these inputs. A motion based editing engine fluidly assembles the film as its story is being narrated, while respecting the conventions of continuity editing, namely, a sequence of shots that appear to be continuous.

    This style of film editing is made possible in Picture This by detecting turn taking behaviors between the toys. Two toy props are augmented with video cameras and custom accelerometer hardware. They use the Picture This tool both as a doll hand-bag or a doll audiovisual recorder. The tool is flexible for a child to take the perspective of props she selected for her movie.

    Also my portfolio for selected projects is finally online!


  • 26DecAlgorithmic film assembly using toy gestures

    If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed to receive the latest Architectradure’s articles in your reader or via email. Thanks for visiting!

    A new input device for video capturing and editing! Designed for young children, ages five and up, it allows them to craft compelling movies through the motion analysis of their interaction with toys.


    A child playing with Picture This and his Naruto action figure

    Continuing my research on perspective taking and tangible video editing, I recently finished the development of Picture This, a video editing and capturing device designed for young children. It allows them to craft compelling movies through the motion analysis of their interaction with toys. Children’s favorite props alternate between characters and cameramen in a film. As children play with the toys to act out a story, they conduct algorithmic film assembly.

    Picture This’s web site.

    In my prior work, Moving Pictures, I wanted to offer children the opportunity to gather imagery from their environment in the form of short video clips captured on video camera platforms modified for the application. I wanted to provide a transparent experience for the user, in which the cumbersome process of capturing and editing becomes fluid in the improvisation of a story and accessible as a way to create a final movie.

    Web site for my past work on Moving Pictures.

    Tangible interfaces combine operations on physical objects with digital data. I have sought to develop interfaces where either digital data can be overlaid onto physical objects in a display space or physical objects can act as handles into the digital space. The tangible handle is more than a marker or place-holder for digital data. It has the power to materialize and redefine our conception of space and content during the creative process.

    If the toy had a visual perspective immediately accessible to the child, a new world would be opened to her. The toy could potentially bring the child into exploring visual and narrative perspectives of these character props, expanding her discovery and understanding of social interrelationships.

    A video snippet of Picture This and a 6 minutes video for its interaction design.

    The Picture this tool is an audiovisual device that combines two digital video cameras and two accelerometers. The tool captures motions, video and sound in real-time while an algorithmic video editing system composes a movie from these inputs. A motion based editing engine fluidly assembles the film as its story is being narrated, while respecting the conventions of continuity editing, namely, a sequence of shots that appear to be continuous.

    This style of film editing is made possible in Picture This by detecting turn taking behaviors between the toys. Two toy props are augmented with video cameras and custom accelerometer hardware. They use the Picture This tool both as a doll hand-bag or a doll audiovisual recorder. The tool is flexible for a child to take the perspective of props she selected for her movie.

    Also my portfolio for selected projects is finally online!

  • 06JanTherapeutic objects

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    Having researched and designed haptic devices to support psychotherapeutic treatments, I am fascinated by French designer 🙂 Mathieu Lehanneur’s work on therapeutic objects he conceived with psychiatric consultants: Bernard Lachaux, Patrick Lemoine and model makers: Alban Danguy des Deserts. These objects are part of the permanent collection of the MOMA, NYC.

    He proposes a series of objects not only as an attempt to bring design into the medical sphere, but essentially to design medications from the perspective of the patient and his/her illness relationship.

    His scenario envisions: the placebo effect, a participation of the patient in his/her treatment, making the medication a communicative and sensory object, debating on the mechanistic approach of modern pharmacology, playing on emotions of attraction, desire, fear and repulsion towards a device or a particular form using gestures, usage practices and rituals.



    Therapeutic felt-tip pen, 2001.

    This analgesic for chronic pain is a systemic medication, which acts on all symptoms together. All that is required is to write on the painful area of the body each day and to remove the used cartridge at the end of each day. This transdermal product is coupled with a user-friendly ink that disappears after several minutes.

    The Third Lung, 2001.

    This project consists of a base treatment for asthma. The patient who refuses to accept his illness will reject even more the idea of taking medication unnecessary. The idea behind this therapeutic object is to establish a relationship of dependence.

    But in this case the medication is dependent on the patient. Between two doses, the volume of the medication increases, this displaying its own physiological problem and indicating to the patient the urgency of taking the medication. Once the dose is administered, the volume decreases and returns to its normal level, only to expand once again until the next dose is administered.



    The First Mouthful

    Posted by Cati Vaucelle

    Architectradure


  • 11JanThe subtle vibrations

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    Duncan Wilson created Otto with Manolis Kelaidis at the Royal College of Art.

    OTTO (Greek for ‘ear’) is a device that makes hidden sounds audible. This is achieved via a thin polymer piezoelectric contact that senses weak vibrations and plays them as a sound through an integrated speaker. OTTO can be positioned on almost any surface through a combination of suction and magnets. By placing several units on different objects, one can select and create a new sonic experience and a form of ambient music appreciation, thereby utilising our space as a multidirectional audio platform.

    Every object and surface in our environment has a whisper; subtle tremors and vibrations that are usually undetectable to the human ear, produced by the activity and movement of daily life. What if these sounds were audible? How would that change our aural awareness, perception of space and attitude towards objects? Would it be possible to ‘compose’ our own soundtrack using our walls and objects as a new form of instruments? Madsounds is a proposal for a different appreciation of our environment, space and objects by making it possible to identify, combine and manipulate these sounds.

    More projects from the RCA.

    Posted by Cati Vaucelle

    ♥ Architectradure


  • 24MarInteractive touch sensitive surface

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    Flux 2

    Flux

    Flux is an interactive touch sensitive surface that can be used either as an interactive table and/or as a digital whiteboard. The surface is based on a rear-projection screen providing both multi-touch and multiple pen interaction with individual identification.

    Flux’s application interface is automatically optimized for the intended use depending on its orientation. Flux can be used as a sketch board, a discussion table or a white-board. Transformation between different orientations is single handedly achieved easily and elegantly. Rear projection, in conjunction with FTIR and Anoto pen tracking allows multi user, multi modal interaction in every configuration.

    Flux

    Flux has the following novel features:

    * transition between multiple hardware/user configurations

    * Optimized user interface based on the configuration and hence intended use

    * Breakthrough multi modal input possibilities with independent, simultaneous hand and pen tracking

    * Completely separate, individual and simultaneous interaction facilitated with pen(user) recognition

    The authors of Flux claims that the system provides unmatched flexibility and capability in setup, use and user input and that it will set the path for a new generation of interactive surfaces!

    Posted by Cati Vaucelle @ Architectradure

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