Hiroko Sukeda

Information-accessing furniture to make our everyday lives more comfortable

We present a concept for information equipment called information-accessing furniture. We have developed an embedded module to be assembled into tables, mirrors, and walls. It can be easily assembled into furniture or other interior components because it is a package of information processing units, input/output units, and other optional units. This concept enables building information equipment designed to match a surrounding environment, and offers an intuitive interface to users, thus helping them to obtain information easily while doing routine activities. We developed several different prototypes with embedded modules and studied their applications. Some comments we received during interviews with end-users and interior designers are also presented 1 .

Information-accessing furniture to our everyday lives more comfortable

A concept for information equipment called information-accessing furniture is presented. We developed an embedded module to be assembled into tables, mirrors, walls, etc. It can be easily assembled into furniture or interior material because it is a package of information processing units, input/output units, and other optional units. It enables building information equipment that is designed to match the surrounding environment, and it offers an intuitive interface to users, thus helping them to obtain information easily while doing routine activities. We developed several types of prototypes with embedded modules and studied their applications. Some comments we received during interviews with end-users and interior designers are also presented

Cocktail Interface: Server-based user interface for seamless access to various kinds of digital content

We developed a server-based user interface called a ldquococktail interface,rdquo which is suitable for digital TV or other consumer electronics devices. With this interface, consumers can seamlessly access and browse various kinds of digital content, such as local, IP-based, and broadcast content, by refining their search with keywords or conditions. We designed the concepts and developed prototypes of the user interface on a server.