Showing posts with label NUI. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NUI. Show all posts

Aug 19, 2011

MULTITOUCH NEWS: NUITEQ's interactive display at a business park; Innovation Now's multitouch anatomy application

Multitouch Display for Business Science Park Aurorum, by NUITEQ


"NUITEQ developed a customized multi-touch software solution for Corporate Reception / Lounge Areas for Business Science Park Aurorum in LuleƄ, based on the award-winning Snowflake Suite framework. In addition to the software, NUITEQ delivered and installed a 32 touch points multitouch dreaMTouch LCD from Germany based Elektrosil."-NUITEQ

Harry van der Veen, Multitouch Blog, 8/19/11


Multitouch Anatomy by Innovation Now


"Virtual anatomy surface computer in the shape of autopsy table that show and enable the user to use hand gestures to do the anatomy process virtually." -Innovation Now

Homam Alghorani, CEO, Innovation Now Sdn Bhd

Aug 5, 2011

NodeBeat HD 1.5 Upgrade, an iOS Music Sequencer: Fun to Play on my iPad!


NodeBeat HD 1.5 - iOS Music Sequencer from AffinityBlue on Vimeo.

Below is information about NodeBeat 1.5 from the Vimeo website:


"This is a brief video showcasing some of the new features in NodeBeat HD 1.5. The same features will be coming to the iPhone/iPod Touch version of NodeBeat in the coming weeks."


"New Features Include:


- Entirely new user interface design
- Drag and drop new nodes
- Drum Generator Node
- Sine, Triangle, Sawtooth, and Square waveform selection
- Tempo and BPM controls
- Compress recording for faster e-mailing of recordings
- Create ringtones from recordings
- Sleep Timer. Now you can fall asleep to NodeBeat
- Shake to Clear Screen
- 5 Finger multitouch reset all"
----------------------------------------------
"NodeBeat is an experimental node-based audio sequencer and generative music application for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad."


(Just 99 cents!)


RELATED
NodeBeat website


NodeBeat iTunes Preview

Play and Experiment with Music on your iPad/Pod/Phone with NodeBeat iOS Music Sequencer by Affinity Blue by Seth Sandler and Justin Windle  (previous post)

NodeBeat: Create and View Musical Soundscapes
iPad Creative, 5/31/11

Seth Sandler     Justin Windle

Baby playing NodeBeat 1.0 -using fingers and toes:


Aug 2, 2011

Taking a look at CreativeJS: "The very best of creative JavaScript and HTML5" -

I came across the CreativeJS website while searching for HTML5/JavaScript resources suitable for creative multimedia projects.  The team at CreativeJS includes Seb Lee-Delisle, Val Head, Paul Neave, Rob Hawkes, Hakim El Hattab, and Lisa Larson-Kelley.


What a talented team!


RELATED
Recent blog post from CreativeJS:  Spherical Harmonics Mesh Builder
Seb Lee-Delisle
Neave Interactive
Rob Hawke's book:  Foundation HTML5 Canvas
Hakim El Hattab's Experiments
Lisa Larson-Kelley's Website:  Learn from Lisa (Web video publishing)

SOMEWHAT RELATED
Interactive Digital Fireworks

Digital Fireworks in Brighton from Seb Lee-Delisle on Vimeo.






Jul 27, 2011

Link: Google updating Chrome for Apple's Lion Multi-touch

Here are two quick links related to the Chrome update for Apple's latest operating system, Lion:

Google Updating Chrome for Lion Multi-touch
Stephen Shankland, CNET News, 7/27/11


RELATED
Chrome Dev Channel Release
7/26/11

Apple's iOS 5 facial recognition feature opens up interactive possibilities

I've been thinking about creating my first iPad app, and as I was searching for information, I came across a few articles related to Apple's new iOS 5 that I found interesting.  


Because my target user group includes young people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD),  I was intrigued by the possibility that the facial recognition APIs might provide a means of assessing mood or emotional states.   Most of us understand that our faces function as mirrors to feelings, and we use our facial expressions to communicate our feelings to others.  Unfortunately, this is a concept that is difficult for young people with ASD to understand.  My hunch is that there is an "app for that".   


I'd love to great to create a little iPad app for young people with ASD for education, intervention, and/or communication activities that incorporates the facial recognition feature!


Apple's iOS facial recognition could lead to Kinect-like interaction
Darrell Etherington, GigaOm/Reuters, 7/27/11
Here is a quote from the above article:
"You could create apps that track a user’s eye movement and dynamically change content accordingly, for instance. App developers might even be able to use data gathered from facial recognition APIs to identify so-called “hotspots,” providing insight about where a user is looking most within an app and arranging content accordingly. In time, an iPhone app might even be able to assess the emotional state of the user, based on whether they’re frowning or smiling, and address the user in a manner appropriate to their mood. It might also be able to tell how engaged users are with mobile ads and content, which might be useful for iAd customers, among others."


Stan Schroeder, Mashable, 7/26/11
Below is a video from from the above post which demonstrates an app developed by Polar Rose, a company that was purchased by Apple.
RELATED
Apple plans native panorama functionality in iOS5
Seth Weintraub, 9TO5Mac, 7/8/11
iOS 5's final release may include "Assistant" speech-to-text feature
Chris Rawson, TUAW, 7/23/11

Jul 26, 2011

Eric Sailer's Lists of iPad, iPod, and iPhone Apps for (special) education


Update: Here is a link to Eric Sailer's resources on Scribd:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/24470331/iPhone-iPad-and-iPod-touch-Apps-for-Special-Education



Update:  I think Eric Sailer's blog has moved.  For now, here is a link to his website:
http://ericsailers.com/iresources.html

Eric Sailers is a speech/language pathologist who has an extensive amount of experience using "apps" in educational settings.  He's compiled a great list of apps and related resources on his blog:  http://slpsharing.com/app-resources/

Eric spends some of his time giving presentations about the use of Apple's mobile devices in education. He's co-created a few apps, too!

Jul 24, 2011

Video: Kinect SoundWall, links to info and code!





Here is information about the project from the KinetHacks SoundWall site:

"Kinect sound machines become prettier and easier with each development! The Kinect SoundWall is a drum beat music machine controlled by gestures and voice commands. This video by  displays this digital music machine at work and how through various gesture and voice commands, users can create awesome beats to dance to. In the video, the user gestures to to certain blocks in the screen in order to create a beat there or render the beats void. Through various voice commands, the beat can start, increase tempo, stop etc. Through the proper integration of both voice and gesture commands, the Kinect SoundWall sets the standard for a great and efficient sound machine of the Kinect!"
"For more information about the Kinect SoundWall visit the project’s website."
RELATED
Vertigo SoundWall CodePlex Project Site

Jul 18, 2011

Emerging Interactive Multimedia, New Models of HCI for Museum Exhibits (Course offered by Ideum's Jim Spadaccini, plus info about the MT55 multi-touch table)

Jim Spadaccini, the director and founder of Ideumwill be teaching a course on exhibit development through the University of Victoria, "Emerging Exhibits: Exploring New Models of Human Computer Interaction (HCI).  The excerpt from the course description provides a glimpse of how emerging technologies are beginning to change the museum experience:


"Computer-based interactive exhibits are undergoing a major transformation. The lone, single-user kiosk is now being replaced by multitouch tables and walls, motion-capture spaces, networked installations, and RFID-based exhibits. Advances in augmented reality, voice recognition, eye tracking, and other technologies promise even more radical change for exhibits in the near future."


I've been following Jim's journey with Ideum, a multimedia design firm that collaborates with museums and related non-profits, for many years, and I am impressed with the work of this company.  In addition to his work at Ideum,  Jim serves as the Principal Investigator of a National-Science Foundation sponsored open-source exhibit software project, Open Exhibits, which provides a free software development kit that supports the creation of multi-touch and multi-user software applications for museums and educational settings.


I'm happy to put in a plug for Ideum's latest product, the MT55 Platform Multi-Touch Table. It incorporates a range of features that I'm sure will meet the needs of museum visitors.  In my opinion, this table would be a fantastic resource for all types of libraries, including those in K-12 settings.

The MT55 Platform Multi-touch Table, from Ideum

The MT55 Platform Multitouch Table from Ideum on Vimeo.  (Note: This video features music by Moby, the track "Sevastopol" on his current album, Destroyed. The music was used with the artists' permission. Learn more at: moby.com") - Ideum

"The thinnest, largest, most powerful multitouch table available.The MT55 Platform multitouch table houses a powerful computer and a 55-inch interactive LCD display that responds to 32 touch-points, inside a rugged aluminum body."

"The bright 55″ 1920×1080 HD display has a 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio. A wide 178-degree viewing angle accommodates multiple users around the table. The optical multitouch system supports 32 simultaneous touch points for collaborative interaction. The system is multitouch-enabled from start-up, and runs Windows 7 64-bit professional edition."


"The integrated computer is packed with power. It contains an Intel® Hyper-Threaded DualCore i5® which runs at 2.66 GHz, 8GB of RAM, and a 128 GB solid-state drive (upgradeable to an i7®)."


"The table comes complete with WIFI, Bluetooth, and Ethernet connectivity. It also has multiple HDMI outputs that allow you to easily mirror the table's display, extend the desktop, or connect to and display from another computer or HDMI device."

"Convenient, but secure ports: CAT5, HDMI, and USB 2.0 are available on both the side on bottom the table."

"The MT55 Platform includes blue LED under-lights to illuminate the area beneath the interactive surface (custom LED colors are available). Every MT table includes a sophisticated internal cooling cell to maintain operating conditions that exceed the optimum environmental specifications for the internal components."

"The interactive surface of the MT55 Platform protected by a sheet of hardened, crystal clear, low-iron 5mm tempered glass surface...
As an option, we offer Sevasa HapticGlas®, produced exclusively for Ideum. Micro-etched HapticGlas® provides tactile feedback, reduces fingerprints, increases scratch resistance, and directs user focus." -Ideum
 

RELATED
High-res photos of the MT55 Platform

GestureWorks Software
Open Exhibits
Ideum
Open Exhibits Tuio Kinect

Jul 14, 2011

Multi-touch Update from Stantum

The people at Stantum have been working hard to improve multi-touch technology, focusing on smaller tablet-sized systems.  Stantum is a company I've been following for several years, from the time it was known as Jazz Mutant.  I have been impressed by Stantum's focus on the needs of people as well as the company's careful attention to important details.


I'm pleased to see that the company has an idea of how its multi-modal technology can support multi-touch in education:   "Ambidexterity and multi-modality are the two pillars of Stantum's core project – making the use of touch-enabled devices more creative and productive. Amongst others, there is one field of application where we truly see a soaring need for ambidexterity and multi-modality – augmented textbooks." -Guillaume Largillier


At the Society for Information Display's Display Week exhibition this past May, Stantum introduced a new palm rejection feature for its Interpolated Voltage Sensitivity technology. This technology provides users with a more natural way to interact with the interface and application content on tablets.   The technology supports Android's multi-touch framework and is also Windows 7 certified.  The palm rejection feature will be a welcome improvement for future multi-touch applications designed for education settings, where it is likely that  more than one hand - or person, might be interacting with content on the screen at the same time.


Below are two videos that provide a glimpse of Stantum's innovations:




Stantum's technology can enable ten simultaneous touches, is highly responsive, and supports high-resolution content. According to a May press release, "Palm rejection is available as an API (application programming interface) to Windows and Android operating systems on x86 and ARM platforms. IVSM touch modules are offered to OEMs through the company’s Qualified Manufacturers Partners, comprising tier-one touch-screen manufacturers with high-volume production capabilities. More information is available at info@stantum.com"


RELATED
Stantum's TouchPoints Newsletter (July 2011)


Stantum Whitepapers:
How to Evaluate Multi-Touch While Standing in a Store (pdf) - a great source of information.
Jim Meador, Pascal Auriel, Gauthier Chastan, Stantum
Specifying and Characterizing Tactile Performances for Multi-touch Panels: Toward a User-Centric Metrology (pdf) - outlines some important points!
Guillaume Largillier, Pascal Joguet, Cyril Recoquillon, Pascal Auriel, Axel Balley, Jim Meador, Julien Olivier, Gauthier Chastan





Jul 12, 2011

Summer Break: Music Apps, Multimedia, Kinect, My New iPad2, Tech-reading, Google+, Dancing...

I'm on summer break, which for me, means that I spend an increased amount playing/creating music and doing all of the other fun stuff I don't have much time for during the school year. I'm still exploring what I can do with my new iPad2 - there are so many music apps!  My favorite at this moment is Garage Band. It keeps me engaged for hours, and I can take it with me anywhere I go.  I'm also exploring iPad apps for education and students with special needs, since many of the young people I work with have autism spectrum disorders.  They all really love music.


Today, I came across turntable.fm, a "social-djing" website, from a link shared by Dimitri Diakopoulos.  I think it would be fun to play with.




















Turntable.FM, The Fastest-Growing Music Service You're Not Using
William Fenton, PC Magazine, 6/23/11
Social DJing with Turntable.FM
Andrew Mager, 5/28/11


I'm still plowing through technology journals and zines from previous months - I had to skip over my stack to read the cover article of the most recent Communications of the ACM:
Michael Edwards, University of Edinburgh, 2011


I LOVE the design of this cover. It would make for a nice interactive interface for an iPad music app. Or a larger touch-screen display. Or even a SMARTBoard! (BTW, My first computer-related course was Computer Music Technology, in 2003. My undergraduate honors research (psychology), years ago, focused on constructive cognition and music recognition/memory. This topic is dear to my heart.)

I've spent some quality time with my first grand-baby this summer.  Although his "screen time" is limited, given his age of 7 1/2 months, he enjoys playing with music on my iPad.  He likes the drums found in the iPad GarageBand application.  Here he is playing with NodeBeat, an app created by Seth Sandler and Justin Windle:













Most of his time is spent off-screen:





Over the last few months, there has been a surge of interactive touch-enabled apps for education, including some for young people with special needs.  This will be the topic of a few of my future posts.

Jul 6, 2011

Revisiting CHI 2011: Videos of Interactive Touch, Gesture, Large Surface, and Mobile Apps with Potential for Use in Education (CHI = Computer Human Interaction)

One of my interests is how the power and potential post-WIMP interactive technologies can be harnessed for use for formal and informal education purposes, including life-long collaborative learning.  


In May, I had a chance to meet with a number of like-minded people during the CHI 2011 conference at the 2nd Workshop on UI Technologies and Impact on Educational Pedagogy.  I was impressed with the depth and breadth of the presentations at the workshop.   Since then, I've been looking through other papers and videos from CHI 2011 to find interesting applications that hold potential for use in educational settings.  


I've come across a good number of interesting applications and prototypes, so be sure to check back for future posts on this topic.  For now, here are a few applications that I'd like to share.  


Below are a few videos from Phillip Chi-Wing Fu.  (He doesn't know it yet, but I've admitted his videos into the Post-WIMP Explorers' Club.)


Interactive Multi-touch Sketching Interface for Diffusion Curves

"A novel multi-touch sketching interface enabling interactive and practical design with 2D diffusion curves is proposed; featured interaction techniques include simultaneous sketching of multiple diffusion curves and at-the-spot colors tuning."


Distinguishing Multiple Smart-Phone Interactions on a Multi-touch Wall Display using Tilt Correlation

"This paper proposes a novel matching technique, called tilt correlation, which employs the built-in tilt sensor on smart-phones to identify their concurrent contacts on a common multi-touch wall display."


WYSIWYF: Exploring and Annotating Volume Data with a Tangible Handheld Device (CHI 2011)


"Integration of a multi-touch wall display with a tangible handheld device with multi-touch and tilt sensing capabilities to provide intuitive what-you-see-is-what-you-feel visual exploration and annotation of volume data."


The following videos were uploaded by alucero:


Pass-Them-Around: Collaborative Use of Mobile Phones for Photo Sharing (CHI 2011)

"Pass-Them-Around is a phone-based application that allows a small group of collocated people to share photos using the metaphor of passing paper photos around. The prototype encourages people to share their devices and use them interchangeably while discussing photos face-to-face. The prototype supports ad-hoc photo sharing in different contexts by taking into account the spatial arrangement of users around a table, measured with sensors embedded in their mobile phones."


The next video was part of MobileHCI '10:
MindMap: Collaborative Use of Mobile Phones for Brainstorming


Jul 5, 2011

GarageBand on the iPad2 is Awesome!

For just $4.99, this app has given me hours of joy - and I've only had it for a week!  The first time I played around with it, I exclaimed that I no longer have a need for my Motif 8 keyboard.

(Seriously, my husband now thinks I'll be unloading my keyboard on eBay or Craigslist soon.)

Below are a couple of videos to give you an idea of what the iPad version of GarageBand is all about:

GarageBand for iPad



Be sure to visit soon for an update - I'll include videos of my own.

May 18, 2011

CHI 2011, Bill Buxton, and the Buxton Collection: Explore 35 years of interactive devices, online!

Bill Buxton is a researcher at Microsoft who focuses on Human-Computer Interaction and is known for his work in user experience design and natural user interfaces such as multi-touch surfaces.   His talk at the recent CHI 2011 conference, held in Vancouver, Canada, was an overview of the Buxton Collection, an on-line historical archive of interactive input devices spanning over the past 35 years.  


It was interesting to note that at the time of the presentation, the Vancouver Conference Center, where the conference was taking place, was having serious problems with the network/internet connections, and as a consequence, Buxton was not able to demonstrate the on-line version of his collection as planned.  

Not to worry.  The physical version of the Buxton's archive was on display during the conference, along with Buxton, who was happy to tell the story behind every device and gadget in the archive, with much enthusiasm. The slideshow below provides a glimpse of the Bill Buxton archive displayed at CHI 2011:



My Buxton Collection Slideshow, CHI 2011, Vancouver, Canada

Buxton's archive of gadgets comes with a rich history, accumulated over the years. Much of this history, until now, has resided in Buxton's head.   Holding and touching the items in the archive while listening to Buxton's passionate stories about each one, was unlike anything I had ever experienced.  His archive is a labor of love, and the interactive, on-line version of the Buxton Collection is his way of sharing his knowledge with the world.


During his talk, Buxton pointed out that in computer science programs, students are not required to have much exposure to the "history of ideas" in the field.  Huge chunks of work are often ignored in the literature,  and in some cases, the wheel is unknowingly reinvented, and this is something that must be addressed within the CHI community, according to Buxton. 


I agree.

RELATED
Previous IMT posts about Bill Buxton
Bill Buxton's Presentation Video: "A Little Tale about Touch" (Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, 2010)
Two good articles by Bill Buxton: The Mad Dash Towards Touch Technology; The Long Nose of Innovation
Buxton Collection
Buxton Collection, PivotViewer
Back to the Past: Bill Buxton Shows Off 36 Years of Tech Devices
Microsoft News Center, 5/9/11
Microsoft's Bill Buxton exhibits gadget collection 35 years in the making
Donald Melanson, engadget, 5/9/11
Bill Buxton's Haptic Input References (pdf)
Bill Buxton's website
Multi-touch Systems that I Have Known and Loved (Bill Buxton)
CES 2010: NUI with Bill Buxton

On Engineering and Design: An Open Letter Microsoft Research Principal Scientist Bill Buxton calls for engineers and user experience designers to learn to appreciate one another
Bill Buxton, Bloomberg Businessweek, 4/29/09

May 3, 2011

CHI 2011 Workshop Program and Related Links: UI Technologies and Impact on Educational Pedagogy, Related Child-Computer Interaction Papers and Courses

WORKSHOP PROGRAM
CHI 2011 will be held at the Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver. The UI Technologies and Pedagogy workshop will be held on Saturday, May 7th,  in the West Building, Level 1, Room 119/120.  PDF versions of the following presentations can be found on the workshop's website.


9:00am – 09:05am Introduction
Edward Tse and Johannes Schƶning
9:05am - 10:05am Paper Session I (8 min presentation, 4 min Discussion)
Chair: Yvonne Rogers
Evaluating Pervasive Classrooms
• Son Do-Lenh et al.: Classroom-experience evaluation: An ecological approach to evaluating pervasive technologies in classrooms 
• Kathryn Rounding et al.: Evaluating Interfaces with Children 
• Dan Morris et al.: Using Machine Learning to Scaffold Artistic Creativity in Education
• Tamara Polajnar et al.: Enabling Picture-based Querying and Learning with the JuSe Interface
• Hamed Alavi et al.: Lantern 2.0: A Pervasive Scripting Tool
•Quincy Brown et al.: Mobile Natives: Unlocking the Potential of Educational Technology
10:15am - 11:00am  Coffee Break and Preparation time for short talks
11:00am - 12:10pm  Paper Session II (8min presentation, 4min Discussion)
Chair: Max Mühlhäuser
Collaboration in Math: Fears, Myths, and Insights.
• Nicola Yull et al.: Pass the iPad: Comparing collaboration on paper and screen
• Veronika Irvine et al.: Math Education: A Creative Approach
• Group talk: Math and Embodied Agents
a.Kristina Richter et al.: Bridging Diagnosis and Learning for Mathematics Education in Classroom Setting
b.Lisa Anthony et al.: Handwriting Interaction for Math Tutors: Lessons for HCI in Education
c.Andrew Jensen et al.: Using Embodied Pedagogical Agents and Direct Instruction to Augment Learning for Young Children with Special Needs
• Group talk: Dispelling Myths About the Next Generation Classroom
a. Alex Thayer et al.: The Myth of the Paperless School: Replacing Printed Texts with E-readers
b.Sharon Oviatt: Designing Digital Tools for Thinking, Adaptive Learning and Cognitive Evolution
c.Alexandra Dunn et al.: Designing Classroom Technology to Meet the Needs of All
Group talk: Games, Wearables and Fun Learning.
a.Christiane Moser et al.: Child-Centered Game Development
b.Lizbeth Escobedo et al.: Blue’s Clues: An Augmented Reality Positioning System
c.Si Jung Kim et al.: Wearable Story: A Story Telling Jacket for Young Children to Improve Their Independent Physical and Learning Activities
12:10pm - 1:30pm   Lunch
1:30pm - 2:30pm   Paper Session III (8 min presentation, 4 min Discussion)
Chair: Richard Beckwith
Tangibles and Tabletops
• Izdihar Jamil et al.:    Communication Patterns in Collaborative Peer Learning around Interactive Table
• Aura Pon et al.:   Graspable Music and Vuzik: Music Learning and Creativity using an Interactive Surface
• Ahmed Kharrufa et al.: Learning at interactive surfaces and designing for reflection
• Cristina Sylla et al.: TOK – a Tangible Interface for Storytelling
• Group talk: Tables and Tangibles
a.Robert Sheehan:    Constructionism, Programming and Touch Interfaces
b.Orit Shaer et al.:     Making the Invisible Tangible: Learning Biological Engineering in Kindergarten
c.Sebastien Kubicki: Evaluation of an interactive table with tangible objects: Application with children in a classroom
d.Cristina Emilia Costa et al.:  I-Theatre: developing narratives skills in kindergarten children
e.Wooi Boon Goh et al.:  Potential Challenges in Collaborative Game Design for Inclusive Settings
2:30pm - 3:00pm       Coffee Break
3:00pm - 4:00pm       Breakout Discussion (What are future challenges? Next years workshop?)
4:00pm - 4:45pm   Closing Keynote by Allison Druin: Mining the Imagination from Time Travel to Anti-gravity: The Future of Child-Computer Interaction
"If you’ve ever sat with a child imagining the future of new technologies, you will undoubtedly hear about “anti-gravity machines,” “peace-technologies that work by tickling people,” “backpacks of the future with ice cream makers,” and “time-travel-mobile-phones that when you call someone it takes you back in time.” The question is how can these child-like imagined technologies lead us to real answers for the future?


In my talk I will propose that “data mining” is not enough, that “mining the imagination” is critical to understanding the future. I will describe the “iChild” and the interactive, independent, international, imaginative child we need to consider designing for in the future. If we look for real change, we need to listen to children, not because they know more, but because they can help us question, explore, and push us in true directions for change."


Allison Druin is an Associate Dean for Research in the iSchool at the University of Maryland and is Director of the Human-Computer Interaction Lab. For almost 14 years, she has led an intergenerational research team, where children, ages 7-11 years old partner with an interdisciplinary group of adult researchers to develop new technologies for children. With this team, she has helped to developed new digital library and storytelling tools with such partners as the U.S. National Park Service, Sesame Workshop, Nickelodeon, Nokia, UNICEF, and many others. In 2010, she received with Ben Bederson the SIGCHI Social Impact Award for her work leading the International Children’s Digital Library (www.childrenslibrary.org).
4:45pm - 5:00pm Closing Remarks (All)
7:00pm Optional Workshop Dinner


RELATED CHILD-COMPUTER INTERACTION SESSIONS AT CHI 2011
CHI 2011 will be offering a variety of opportunities for people interested in interaction design and technologies for children.  Detailed information regarding the researchers/ presenters can be found on the IDC-SIG News/Events page.


CHI2011 COURSE - Evaluating Children's Interactive Technology
Monday 9th May 2011 - 16:00
Janet C Read - University of Central Lancashire
Panos Markopoulos - Technical University of Eindhoven
CHI2011 COURSE - New Methods for Designing for and with the iChild: Strategies for Today’s Mobile, Social, and Internet Technologies
Thursday 12th May 2011 - 09:00
Allison Druin - University of Maryland
Jerry Fails - Montclair State University
Mona Leigh Gubler - University of Maryland
CHI2011 Paper Session - Engaging Youth  Thursday 12th May 2011 - 11:00
Exploratory Evaluations of a Computer Game Supporting Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Adolescents
In the Mood: Engaging Teenagers in Psychotherapy Using Mobile Phones
Breaking Boundaries: Strategies for Mentoring through Textile Computing Workshops
Brick by Brick: Iterating Interventions to Bridge the Achievement Gap with Virtual Peers
CHI2011 - Other IDC Related Papers
Paper Session: Art, Music and  MovementMonday 9th May 2011
MOGCLASS: Evaluation of a Collaborative System of Mobile Devices for Classroom Music Education of Young Children
MoBoogie: Creative Expression Through Whole Body Musical Interaction
Paper Session: Low-cost ICT4D Tuesday 10th May 2011
Utilizing Multimedia Capabilities of Mobile Phones to Support Teaching in Schools in Rural Panama
Infrastructures for low-cost laptop use in Mexican schools
Paper Session: Storytelling and Perceptual Crossing Wednesday 11th May 2011
ShadowStory: Creative and Collaborative Digital Storytelling Inspired by Cultural Heritage
Paper Session: Learning
Practical, Appropriate, Empirically-Validated Guidelines for Designing Educational Games
CHI2011 Paper Session - Families Tuesday 10th May 2011 - 11:00
Learning Patterns of Pick-ups and Drop-offs to Support Busy Family Coordination
Mediated Parent-Child Contact in Work-Separated Families
Hello, is Grandma there? Let’s Read! StoryVisit: Family Video Chat and Connected E-Books
Family Portals: Connecting Families Through A Multifamily Media Space


If these topics interest you, consider making plans to attend IDC 2011!
IDC 2011:  The 10th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children
June 19-23,  University of Michigan (My alma mater!)

Apr 29, 2011

Musical Multitouch/Gestural Interfaces by Osmosis

I've been pleasantly surprised by the increase of interesting multi-touch and gesture-based applications developed for musical interaction on large displays.  This topic is dear to my heart -  I took a computer music technology class back in 2003, and think it would have been great if this sort of thing was available back then.  Who wants to point and click around a music app for hours on end?!


The video below shows what is new from Osmosis, a company based in NY that focuses on the development of multi-touch and gesture based software for a range of uses, including music applications.


Performance Systems for Stage/Studio from Osmosis on Vimeo.

Transparent Stage System Specs
Design
• Floating, transparent HD displays from 32"
• Haptic surface with tempered glass backing
• High gain image with wide viewing angle
• Rugged aircraft-grade aluminum build
• Enclosed projector and computer
• Minimalist style, compact footprint
• Disassembles for easy transportation


Interactivity
• Projected capacitive foil or IR bezel options
• Up to 32 simultaneous touch points
• Precise, responsive touch tracking (3mm)
• Immune to external light conditions
• Use of fingers, gloves or stylus


Technical
Display:
• DLP portable projector
• 1280×800 HD resolution
• 2500 ANSI-lumen, 1800:1 contrast
Computer:
• Mini-ITX, Core 2 Quad, 4GB RAM
• ATI Radeon X1250 graphics card
• Wireless keyboard and mouse
• Windows 7 Pro

Stuart McClean, the founder of Osmosis, shared the following information about his company:

"Osmosis is a consulting firm based in the NYC area with deep experience in interactive technology. Although we cater to a range of markets, we’re especially passionate about music production and performance. Working closely with artists, we build customized interactive systems for stage and studio. HCI technology is integrated into a range of designs including stands, desktop rigs, tables, carts and vertical screens. Interfaces are tailored to specific artist needs and combine controls, generative audio and visuals, instruments, and gestural input. Our unique and flexible systems take full advantage of multi-touch interaction and offer seamless control of Ableton Live, Traktor, or other DAWs via midi and OSC..."


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For more information about the applications developed by the Osmosis team, take a look at their showcase page.  

Apr 28, 2011

Touch the Music: Drums, Keyboards, and More on NextWindow Touchscreens Featured in Megan Slankard's Music Video, "Sails"

Megan Slankard and her band performing "Sails", from the album "a little extra sun":

"To put its technology to the artistic test, NextWindow introduced Megan Slankard and her band to the freedom of creating music using touch screens. With 13 touch screens manufactured by NextWindow – seven 46-inch screens and six All-in-One desktop touch computers – Megan and her band set out to create a music video with a touch of technology they’ve never utilized before."-NextWindow


For detailed information about the touch screens and music applications shown in the video below, visit the Music on Touch Screens page of NextWindow's website. The website shows a good "behind the scenes" video of the various band members exploring the touch screens used to create the music in the video.


Applications and Hardware
Controller/Mixing/Sequencing: FL Studio software.
Touch screen technology:  NextWindow 2550 Profile Touch, NextWindow 2700 Touch  Overlay, NextWindow 1900 Desktop

This technology would be awesome in K-12 music classes!

Apr 26, 2011

Multi-touch and Gesture Interaction News and Updates You Might Have Missed (Part I)

Over the past couple of months, I've come across many interesting links related to multi-touch and gesture interaction, but I haven't had time to devote a thoughtful post to each one.  "Part I",  is a nice collection of experimental, commercial, and non-commercial efforts by a variety of creative technologists, with a smattering of industry news that might be of interest to IMT readers. 


Ideum's MT55 HD Multitouch Table 4/19/11

New MT55 HD Multitouch Table Now Shipping,  Jim Spadaccini, Ideum Blog 4/11/11

Smithsonian American Art Museum to Open Education Center  Sara Beladi, NBC Washington News, 4/4/11 (Rumor has it that the Smithsonian American Art might include touch and multi-touch displays in it's plans for a new education center.  The center was funded by an anonymous $8 million dollar gift.)

Bill Buxton, Microsoft Research, 4/7/11 - Includes lots of pictures, links to videos, and more information of what might be the first touch-screen.  Also see Bill Buxton's companion website, Multi-Touch Systems that I have Known and Loved, updated on 3/21/11.  Bill Buxton knows all (almost!)


"The MTbiggie uses the "Front Diffused Illumination" multitouch technique, with ambient infrared light and a DIY infrared webcam. The MTbiggie is similar to the MTmini, but includes a projected image and infrared webcam (rather than a normal webcam)...The MTbiggie isn’t the most stable and robust setup, but it is the easiest to build. To see other methods of building more stable multitouch displays, view the full multitouch display list." -Seth Sandler

(Also check out NodeBeat, a multi-touch music/audio sequencer/generator app by Seth Sandler and Justin Windle)

Intuilab, 4/13/11
"IntuiLab, a global leader in surface computing software applications, today announced support for the revolutionary Microsoft Kinect device across its full line of IntuiFace products and solutions including IntuiFace Presentation and IntuiFace Commerce...Microsoft Kinect brings distant gesture control to interactive solutions. These gesture controls allow users to interact with displayed digital assets from a distance at their own pace and path – for example, browsing through a large quantity of products in a store catalog or manipulating 3D models (such as a mobile phone) – all without having to actually touch the screen..."  -IntuiLab (Take a look at the IntuiLab team- an interactive page!)




Sparkon:  Videos and links related to multi-touch and gesture-based applications



Official Kinect SDK to be Open SourceJosh Blake, Deconstructing the NUI, 4/18/11  
9 This bit of news excited me, but don't get your hopes up. If anyone knows what will happen with the Kinect SDK, please leave a comment.)
"Update 4/18 7:34pm: Mary Jo Foley picks up this story, but the Microsoft spokesperson she talked to denied that the Kinect SDK will be open source. As she notes, Microsoft has pulled 180’s before regarding Kinect. After spokespeople initially were hostile to the idea of Kinect hacking, Xbox executives later embraced the idea that people are using Kinect for non-gaming purposes on the PC. Let’s hope Microsoft stays open to this idea." -Josh Blake

Kenrick Kin, Tom Miller, Bjoern Bollensdorff, Tony DeRose, Bjoern Hartmann, Manees Agrawala (Pixar Online Library)

Flight Race Game on 3DFeel lm3Labs, 4/18/11


JazzMutant Lemure Version 2 : "The only multi-touch and modular controller for sequencers, synthesizers, virtual instruments, vjing and lights, now even better."


Harry van der Veen's Multitouch Blog (NUITEQ)


Stantum "Unlimited Multi-Touch" Latest News

At Immersive Labs, Ads Watch Who Looks at Them Amy Lee, Huffington Post, 4/26/11 

Immersive Labs

Hard Rock Cafe International Using NextWindow Touch Screens:  "Rock Wall Solo displays enhance music lovers' experience in Seattle, Dallas, Detroit and Berlin" 4/12/11 (Full press release pdf)
Music on Touch Screens (NextWindow)

Razorfish: Thoughts on MIX 11 ,James Ashley, Razorfish Blog, 4/20/11  Also see: Razorfish Lab's Prototypes




"The multitouch microscope brings new dimensions into teaching and research. Researchers at the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM) and Multitouch Ltd have created a hand and finger gesture controlled microscope. The method is a combination between two technologies: web-based virtual microscopy and a giant size multitouch display."
"The result is an entirely new way of performing microscopy: by touching a table- or wall-sized screen the user can navigate and zoom within a microscope sample in the same way as in a conventional microscope. Using the touch control it is possible to move from the natural size of the sample to a 1000-fold magnification, at which cells and even subcellular details can be seen."  -Multitouchfi  Also see the Multitouch website.



Big Size Multitouch Display Turned into a MicroscopeMicroscopy-News, 3/28/11
Mac OX 10.7 Lion: new multi-touch gestures, Dock integration for Expose, Launchpad, Mission Control Appleinsider, 4/14/11


Vectorform App featured in Royal Caribbean's Video Promotion: James Brolin, Dean Cain get hands-on with Vectorform app Alison Weber, Vectorform Blog, 3/3/11


3M Touch Systems's YouTube Channel

Social Mirror 3D Gestural Display, Now Using Kinnect:  SnibbeInteractive