Ultra Tangibles

Creating movable tangible objects on interactive tables

Abstract

Tangible objects placed on interactive surfaces allow users to employ a physical object to manipulate digital content. However, creating the reverse effect—having digital content manipulate a tangible object placed on the surface—is a more challenging task. We present a new approach to this problem, using ultrasound-based air pressure waves to move multiple tangible objects, independently, around an interactive surface. We describe the technical background, design, implementation, and test cases for such a system.

Publications

Mark T. Marshall, Tom Carter, Jason Alexander, Sriram Subramanian, Ultra-Tangibles: Creating Movable Tangible Objects on Interactive Tables. Proceedings of the 30th International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2012). May 2012. [PDF, 514 kB][ACM Digital Library]

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