Kees Overbeeke

A Virtual Window on media space

The Virtual Window system uses head movements in a local office to control camera movement in a remote office. The result is like a window allowing exploration of remote scenes rather than a flat screen showing moving pictures. Our analysis of the system, experience implementing a prototype, and observations of people using it, combine to suggest that it may help overcome the limitations of typical media space configurations. In particular, it seems useful in offering an expanded field of view, reducing visual discontinuities, allowing mutual negotiation of orientation, providing depth information, and supporting camera awareness. The prototype we built is too large, noisy, slow and inaccurate for extended use, but it is valuable in opening a space of possibilities for the design of systems that allow richer access to remote colleagues.

Design research & tangible interaction

The research on Tangible Interaction (TI) has been inspired by many different disciplines, including psychology, sociology, engineering and human-computer interaction (HCI). Now that the field is getting more mature, in the sense that basic technologies and interaction paradigms have been explored, we observe a growing potential for a more design-oriented research approach. We suggest that there are several arguments for this proposed broadening of the TI-perspective: 1) the need for designing products within contexts-of-use that are much more challenging and diverse than the task-oriented desktop (or tabletop) systems that mostly inspire us today, 2) the interest to also design TI starting from existing physical activities instead of only as add-ons to digital applications, 3) the need for iterative design and evaluation of prototypes in order to develop applications that are grounded within daily practice over prolonged periods of time, and 4) the need to extend ease-of-use to more hedonic aspects of interaction such as fun and engagement

Let's make things engaging

Technology and electronics have given us many positive things, but also changed our ways of interacting and relationships with products, and not always for the better. As humans are emotional beings, why not make interaction a more fun and beautiful experience, based on all human skills? We have explored for several decades how physicality of electronic and digital products could be reinstated to restore engagement. This chapter focuses on those neglected aspects of human-product interaction and potential directions to address them.

A natural human hand model

We present a skeletal linked model of the human hand that has natural motion. We show how this can be achieved by introducing a new biology-based joint axis that simulates natural joint motion and a set of constraints that reduce an estimated 150 possible motions to twelve. The model is based on observation and literature.To facilitate testing and evaluation, we present a simple low polygon count skin that can stretch and bulge. To evaluate we first introduce a hand-motion taxonomy in a two-dimensional parameter space based on tasks that are evolutionary linked to the environment. Second, we discuss and test the model.The appendix shows motion sequences of the model and the real hand. Animations can be fetched from our website.

Tangibles for toddlers learning language

Here we present LinguaBytes, a modular, tangible play-and-learning system developed to stimulate the language and communication skills of toddlers (with a developmental age between 1 and 4 years) with multiple disabilities. The typical characteristics of these children and their common learning environment call for intelligent systems that are quickly and easily adaptable, or, even better, adjust themselves proactively. Over the last two and a half years we have designed and tested such a system within LinguaBytes. In this paper we will outline starting points, indicate the opportunities of Tangible Interaction and finally give an overview of the current LinguaBytes prototype.

From perception to experience, from affordances to irresistibles

What is design doing at universities, and organizing conferences on pleasurable products?

The development of LinguaBytes: an interactive tangible play and learning system to stimulate the language development of toddlers with multiple disabilities

Young children with multiple disabilities (e.g., both cognitive and motor disabilities) are confronted with severe limitations in language development from birth and later on. Stimulating the adult-child communication can decrease these limitations. Within LinguaBytes, a three-year research program, we try to stimulate language development by developing an interactive and adaptive play and learning environment, incorporating tangible objects and multimedia content, based on interactive storytelling and anchored instruction. The development of a product for such a heterogeneous user group presents substantial challenges. We use a Research-through-Design method, that is, an iterative process of developing subsequent experiential prototypes and then testing them in real-life settings, for example, a center for rehabilitation medicine. This article gives an outline of the development of the LinguaBytes play and learning environment from the earliest studies up to the current prototype, CLICK-IT.

Form-giving: expressing the nonobvious

The design of richly informative interfaces would benefit from an account of how visual forms convey information. In this paper we suggest that the study of~orwz-giving in Industrial Engineering might provide a foundation for such an account. We present three studies of designed synesthesia, in which objects’ forms indicate non-visible attributes such as taste or smell. These studies illustrate the rich possibilities for conveying information with form, possibilities which are routinely exploited in industrial design. We believe that similar opportunities exist for interface design, and that further studies of form-giving may help in taking advantage of them. Results of a student exercise expressing computer metaphors in 3D forms will be discussed.

Let me actuate you

In this paper we focus on two aspects of Tangible Interaction that have our particular interest: 1) the added value of tangibility when designing interfaces for toddlers and 2) the value of actuators. Especially the latter is something that in our opinion has been under-investigated within the field of Tangible and Embedded Interaction. In this paper we will address the abovementioned topics by giving examples from the LinguaBytes project, which is aimed at developing an intelligent interactive play and learning environment for toddlers with multiple disabilities. These two aspects of Tangible Interaction have our particular interest since we see that multi-handicapped children could benefit highly from Tangible Interaction, but often lack the necessary bodily skills. Using actuators could offer these children possibilities to become more autonomous, thus enhancing their self-esteem and motivation. We feel that our work could not only benefit multi-handicapped toddlers in particular, but could also be used to design interactions that are more respectful to heterogeneous users in general.

Visual resolution and spatial performance: the trade-off between resolution and interactivity

A series of experiments is reported in which subjects performed a search-and-act spatial task in conditions of reduced resolution and exploratory freedom. Images were produced using miniature cameras, comparing static camera position, passive camera movement, and head-coupled immersive VR/teleoperation conditions. By using cameras and real light, time lags could be avoided. Video processors were used to artificially reduce spatial, and temporal resolutions. Results show that although spatial and intensity resolutions are very important in static viewing conditions, like those of traditional image-producing computer graphics, subjects can complete the puzzle in head-mounted (VR-like) conditions with resolutions as little as 18/spl times/15 pixels. Furthermore results show that animation of the image viewpoint does not always improve spatial performance when the animation is not user-controlled; in some conditions performance actually got worse by adding passive movement.