Infusing the physical world into user interfaces

Abstract

Advances in new materials and manufacturing techniques are rapidly blending the computational and physical worlds. With every new turn in technology development - e.g., discovering a novel smart material, inventing a more efficient manufacturing process or designing a faster microprocessor - there are new and exciting ways to take user interfaces away from the screen and blend them into our living spaces and everyday objects, making them more responsive, intelligent and adaptive. As the world around us becomes increasingly infused with technology, the user interfaces and computers themselves will disappear into the background, blending into the physical world around us. Thus, the old tried-and-true paradigms for designing interaction and interfaces must be re-evaluated, re-designed and, in some cases, even discarded to take advantage of the new possibilities that these cutting-edge technologies provide. While the challenges and opportunities are distinct, the fundamental goal remains the same: to provide for the effortless and effective consumption, control and transmission of information at any time and in any place, while delivering a unique experience that is only possible with these emerging technologies.In this talk I will present work produced by myself and the research group that I have been directing at Disney Research Pittsburgh. We are addressing these exciting challenges. This talk will cover projects investigating tactile and haptics interfaces, deformable computing devices, augmented reality interfaces and novel touch sensing techniques, as well as biologically-inspired interfaces, among others. The presentation will cover both projects conducted while at Sony Corporation and more recent research efforts in the Interaction Group at Walt Disney Research, Pittsburgh.