Hands-On Computing: InfiniTouch's Innovation

In response to the comment I received about my last post, I did some hunting and posted about QSI's InfiniTouch products on the Technology Supported Human-World Interaction blog. The post contains a couple of videoclips about InfiniTouch, as well as links about the various uses of the application/system.

If you are interested in touch interaction, it is worth exploring!

Oculusia, an Interactive Multi-Touch Table Game for Four People

The following video is a nice demonstration of a multi-touch table game, Oculusia. The game was created by four students from the Aalborg University, Copenhagen, for Medialogy 2008. The students, Jens Fursund, Thomas Frohlich, Thomas Miksa, and Tobias Brogaard, also created the table.



More Information:
Students Explore Multi-touch with Oculusia

Related:
The "Workbench" used in the Medialogy Lab at Aalborg University, Copenhagen:


"The Workbench displays 3D stereo images and the tracking system allows for interaction with virtual objects on the display surface. The tracking system uses infrared light to illuminate the display surface and the camera is only sensitive to infrared light. Basic image processing techniques are then applied to acquire position of the hand."

A Multi-Touch DigitalPainting Application pdf (Søren Støvlbæk, Larsen Gavin, Francis Murray & Jesper Højgaard Pedersen:Institute of Electonic Systems, Computer Vision, and Graphics, Aalborg University 2007)

The ReacTable: A Tangible Musical Instrument pdf(Martin Kaltenbrunner, Music Technology Group, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 2006)

DigiBoard Multi-Touch Mixed Reality Game; Ideas for future design of a flexible, adjustable multi-touch surface..

This video is a demo of a multi-touch table, called the DigiBoard, running a game application called "Tower Defense". This multi-modal game takes input from physical tokens, touch, and provides auditory feedback.

According to the credits on the video-clip, the creators of this application were Andreas Hesel, Birna Run Olafsdottir, Dann Sandgreen, and Osk Hilmarsdottir. When I can track down more information about this group, I'll post it!

For more information about interactive display technologies, see Gizmo Watch's Top 15 Interactive Display Technologies. The list is full of photos and video clips of a variety of systems. It was created last year, so it might need some updating.

I am still looking for some examples of good multi-touch table games for use in education. I've created a few prototypes that are not fully fleshed out over the past year, but I haven't had the time or money to build the type of adjustable table that I want.

I'd like my table surface to adjust horizontally, vertically, and angles in-between, like a drafting table. I don't want my table to rely on a projector, since I don't want unnecessary occlusion. A rear-projection system would be heavy and bulky. My design is light and sleek, and it is mobile.

The advantage of an adjustable design is that it allows for flexibility in use, within a single environment, and across a variety of settings. It could work well in schools, libraries, museums, convention centers, exhibit halls, hospitals, visitor centers, airports, public transportation stations, board rooms, data centers, malls, supermarkets, community centers, coffee houses...just about anywhere.

I've written about this topic a few times. For more information, see "Emerging Interactive Technologies, Emerging Interactions, and Emerging Integrated Form Factors"

If you know of anyone who is creating an adjustable, multi-functional touch surface, please let me know.

I am playing around with ideas for a suite of multi-modal, adaptive game for use with young people who have suffered traumatic brain injuries, and others who have special needs. A stationary surface would not provide the flexibility my applications will require.

Usabililty guidelines for touch screen or surface applications from SAP

Here is a link to usability design guidelines for touch-screen applications on the SAP design guild website, posted by Gerd Waloszek, of the Product Design Center.

Although these guidelines were written in 2000, they still hold true in 2007, especially now that larger touch-screen applications such as Microsoft Surface (Madrid) have recently been unveiled.


Touch Screen Design Guide

NextWindow Human Touch Interactive display using photo overlays on Google Earth

This application was part of a travel-planning prototype developed for a course in Human-Computer Interaction.   The application was demonstrated on a NextWindow Human Touch large screen display.

Would it work on the iPhone?