Kazuhiro Hosoi

Caretta : a system for supporting face-to-face collaboration by integrating personal and shared spaces

In this paper, a system called Caretta that integrates personal and shared spaces to support face-to-face collaboration is described. We use PDAs and a multiple-input sensing board for personal and shared spaces, respectively. Users of Caretta can discuss and negotiate with each other in the shared space by manipulating physical objects, while they individually examine their ideas in their own personal spaces. Caretta allows users to participate in group activities interchangeably and seamlessly using both these spaces. Caretta is applicable to various collaborative tasks. In this paper, it supports users in urban planning tasks. User studies of Caretta demonstrated that it allowed users to collaborate in a flexible fashion: users could work individually in their personal spaces at their own pace, cooperatively work together in the shared space, and smoothly transition between both of the spaces.

VisiCon: a robot control interface for visualizing manipulation using a handheld projector

The miniaturization of image projectors leads to the expectation that projectors could be embedded in mobile devices such as cellular phones and PDAs. A projector mounted on a mobile device, freely movable in 3D space under user control, could operate not only as an output device but also as an input device for enabling humans to manipulate mobile robots. We therefore explore the possibilities of human-robot interaction techniques using handheld projectors. For this purpose, we propose an innovative interface called VisiCon. We have also developed a cooperative game, CoGAME, in which players guide a simple robot using handheld projectors. In this game, users can connect projected maps together, and cooperatively lead a robot to a specified goal. In this paper, we explain the techniques used in CoGAME, and present an evaluation.

A semi-automatic realtime calibration technique for a handheld projector

In this paper, a semi-automatic realtime calibration technique for a handheld projector is described. The proposed technique always keeps a shape of a projected screen rectangular on a specified projection surface, while a user continuously changes his standing position or the pose of the projector. The technique is especially useful for a future mobile phone with a built-in projector that allows a user to project its screen onto any surface in any location and share the screen with multiple people. Informal evaluations using the technique have been conducted to identify the level of its acceptability by users and to find problems to be improved. An example entertainment application to explore possibilities of the proposed technique has been developed.

Mobile display-based manipulation: an intuitive and interactive technique for manipulating simple robots

In this paper, we propose the Mobile Display-based Manipulation (MDM) technique for manipulating simple robots such as automated cleaning robots. By capturing images of robots with a camera-attached mobile display and moving it in a three-dimensional space, a user can easily and intuitively manipulate the robots. To verify the validity and effects of the MDM technique, we developed two prototype systems using a handheld display and a projection display. Issues to be investigated and lessons learned through the design and evaluations of the systems are discussed.

Shepherd: An Interface for Overcoming Reference Frame Transformations in Robot Control

In this paper, we propose a system called Shepherd that allows a user to manipulate robots such as radio controlled cars from his viewpoint. The user of Shepherd can intuitively control the robots by capturing images of robots through a camera mounted on a mobile device, and moving it. User studies of Shepherd indicated that users could manipulate the robot in an intuitive manner.