About twenty years ago Mark Weiser elaborated a vision that was built around two core concepts, and that is still guiding HCI research today. The first concept is ubiquitous computing, it's mainly about hardware, and it is almost fully realized today. Google returns more than 3 millions links about the subject, including conferences, research projects, industry initiatives, etcetera.
But what about the second one, calm technology? It is about interaction design, poetry, perception, quality, and it is almost completely unrealized. It is about much more subtle properties than quantities, miniaturization and wireless networking. Google returns less than 50 thousands results on the subject. The world forgot the most precious part of Weiser's heritage. We do research on calm technology.
The SensitiveWindow is designed to detect people presence and expressive actions in front of a shop window display (in uncontrolled lighting conditions), and to present contents in a very immediate way, suitable for communication with outdoor passers-by.
People positions and walking directions are estimated in order to trigger the appropriate engaging contents (e.g. full screen movies created to invite or surprise someone walking left to right, etcetera).
The touchless display detects people hands up to 20 centimeters from the window glass, and allows detection of content selections events. Hands are tracked at 60 frames per second; the resolution is 2 centimeters.
The interface is based on a series of fullscreen movies, a series of seamless transitions to move from movie to movie, and a series of smaller movies for content selection; this results in a very dynamical, live shopwindow.
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SensitiveAdv demo. October 2007.
The SensitiveAdv, although technically similar to the SensitiveFloor, doesn't rely on a white matte to project onto; high contrast images are pervasively projected onto the environment (e.g. being it wood or concrete). A small (30 centimeters wide) video or animation on black background (thus invisible using good quality DLP projectors) is projected on a wall or on the floor. As someone moves across it the animation expands from that point, involving a much larger area, and expressing content; then the animation goes back seamlessly to the small initial stimulus.
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SensitiveWindow outside of a bank, in a quite traditional fashion.
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We were in Milan at this year's SMAU fair, together with IBM. We showed SensitiveFloor, SensitiveWall and SensitiveTable. Our works were fully covered by italian and international televisions. October 2007.
Article from La Repubblica Affari & Finanza
We worked on the interactive furniture of one of the most important TV shows in Italy.
Opening and live. More than five million spectators!
The space.
Testing.
The SensitiveFloor is a video projected custom shaped floor section observed by an optical sensor that detects people motions. A variety of audiovisual experiences has been developed, including digital water, mosaics, and games.
Get or update the Flash Player to see this movie.
Opening and live. More than five million spectators!
The space.
Testing.
The SensitiveFloor is a video projected custom shaped floor section observed by an optical sensor that detects people motions. A variety of audiovisual experiences has been developed, including digital water, mosaics, and games.
SensitiveTable's interface, Skin, is at an advanced stage of development. This tech demo shows some of the features under investigation. The multitouch table itself now features zero force sensitivity. May 2007.
The SensitiveTable is a large multi-touch display that can detects and track the surface of people hands in contact with it at 60 frames per second with a resolution of about 1.5 millimeters. A software application framework allows the creation of custom natural experiences. The table is equipped with array microphones and RFID antennas on its edges. The table runs a speaker independent speech recognition engine, based on a very small vocabulary, that is invoked only in specific circumstances. RFID tagged objects are used to populate the interface with contents, activate functions and authenticate users.
Due to its analytical nature (high resolution and multi-point gestures), the table in the public space is used mostly as a form of digital mediation between two or more persons (e.g. consultant and customer): the expert can lead the novice through the more complex and less intuitive dynamics of interaction.
Get or update the Flash Player to see this movie.
The SensitiveTable is a large multi-touch display that can detects and track the surface of people hands in contact with it at 60 frames per second with a resolution of about 1.5 millimeters. A software application framework allows the creation of custom natural experiences. The table is equipped with array microphones and RFID antennas on its edges. The table runs a speaker independent speech recognition engine, based on a very small vocabulary, that is invoked only in specific circumstances. RFID tagged objects are used to populate the interface with contents, activate functions and authenticate users.
Due to its analytical nature (high resolution and multi-point gestures), the table in the public space is used mostly as a form of digital mediation between two or more persons (e.g. consultant and customer): the expert can lead the novice through the more complex and less intuitive dynamics of interaction.
Alessandro Valli will give a talk titled Interacting with Things at Frontiers of Interaction III, in Milan, on June 28th. He will present some of our latest research work.
A customized SensitiveFloor under a huge tent in Pinocchio's Park (Parco di Pinocchio) in Collodi, 2007.
Some preliminary sketches about the interaction experience.
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