Alvaro Cassinelli

Khronos projector

Thanks to the Khronos Projector, space and time can be unlinked in a pre-recorded movie. Causality becomes relative to the spatial path we decide to follow on the screen, which allows for multiple interpretations of the pre-recorded facts. In this sense, the Khronos Projector is an exploratory interface that transforms a movie sequence into a spatio-temporal sculpture for people to explore at their own pace.

Gesture recognition using laser-based tracking system

This work describes a finger gesture recognition system based on an active tracking mechanism. The simplicity of this tracking system is such that it would be possible to integrate the whole system on a chip, making it an interesting input interface for portable computing devices. In this context, recognition of gestural characters allows information to be input in a natural way. The recognition of three dimensional gestures is also studied, opening the way to a more complex interaction mode and to other kinds of applications.

In-air typing interface for mobile devices with vibration feedback

Recently the miniaturization of mobile devices has progressed and such devices are difficult to have input interface that has wide operation area on their surface. Conventional input interface on a cell phone, such as a touch panel or keypad, has limited operation area. There has been many approaches to handle this problem, but they require users to wear some physical devices[Harrison and Hudson 2009] or to use in some specific environments[Roeber et al. 2003].

Smart laser-scanner for 3D human-machine interface

The problem of tracking hands and fingers on natural scenes has received much attention using passive acquisition vision systems and computationally intense image processing. We are currently studying a simple active tracking system using a laser diode, steering mirrors, and a single non-imaging detector, which is capable of acquiring three dimensional coordinates in real time without the need of any image processing at all. Essentially, it is a smart rangefinder scanner that instead of continuously scanning over the full field of view restricts its scanning area, on the basis of a real-time analysis of the backscattered signal, to a very narrow window precisely the size of the target. The complexity of the whole setup is equivalent to that of a portable laser-based barcode reader, making the system compatible with wearable computers.

The deformable workspace: A membrane between real and virtual space

We propose a variant of the multi-touch display technology that introduces an original way of manipulating three-dimensional data. The underlying metaphor is that of a deformable screen that acts as a boundary surface between the real and the virtual worlds. By doing so, the interface can create the illusion of continuity between the userpsilas real space and the virtual three-dimensional space. The prototype system presented here enables this by employing three key technologies: a tangible and deformable projection screen, a real-time three-dimensional sensing mechanism, and an algorithm for dynamic compensation for anamorphic projection. This paper introduces the concept of the deformable tangible workspace, and describes the required technologies for implementing it. Also, several applications developed on a prototype system are detailed and demonstrated.

Volume slicing display

The Volume Slicing Display enables interactive exploration of volumetric data (for example, medical images) using a piece of plexiglass (or paper) that functions both as a control interface and a passive, untethered projection screen.

Light arrays

The Light Arrays project explores the extension of the body through an array of visible light beams projecting on the environment a dynamic representation of the body, its movement and posture. Interestingly, these light cues are visible both for the user wearing the device as well as for others. The result is an experiential bridge between what we see and what we feel or know about the dynamic, moving body. The Light Arrays afford augmented proprioception, generated through the artificial visual feedback system; enhanced body interaction prompted by the interactively augmented body image (in time and space); as well as a clear visual representation of interpersonal and inter-structural | architectural space.

Displays take new shape: an agenda for future interactive surfaces

This workshop provides a forum for discussing emerging trends in interactive surfaces that leverage alternative display types and form factors to enable more expressive interaction with information. The goal of the workshop is to push the current discussion forward towards a synthesis of emerging visualization and interaction concepts in the area of improvised, minimal, curved and malleable interactive surfaces. By doing so, we aim to generate an agenda for future research and development in interactive surfaces.

Meta-perception: reflexes and bodies as part of the interface

Meta-perception is both an interaction design concept and the theme of a research group at the University of Tokyo. As a design concept, meta-perception is used to describe experience of novel phenomena made possible by devices that extend the human precepts. As a research group, our goal is to develop methods for capturing and manipulating information that is normally inaccessible to humans and machines. In this paper we describe various displays and devices that exemplify meta-perception. These include: several displays with which the human bodily interacts and wearable haptic devices that act as an extended skin. We reflect upon a design approach which borrows from elements of philosophy and media art to describe a different relationship between humans and technology.

A pair of diopter-adjustable eyeglasses for presbyopia correction

We describe and demonstrate a pair of diopter-adjustable eyeglasses aimed to correct presbyopia; the glasses provide a tunable optical power in the whole surface of the lens cell, eliminating the optical distortion typical of bifocal/trifocal or progressive glasses. The wearer can actively control the optical power by a simple sliding gesture on the bridge of the glasses, so that presbyopic vision can be interactively corrected. Results from a preliminary experiment showed that a presbyopia sufferer could clearly observe near and far objects under the assistant accommodation of the glasses. Designing a truly wearable system poses some challenges – none of them theoretical – so the system should be feasible in the near future.