Tomoko Hashida

Hand-rewriting: automatic rewriting similar to natural handwriting

We have developed a hybrid writing and erasure system called Hand-rewriting in which both human users and computer systems can write and erase freely on the same piece of paper. When the user writes on a piece of paper with a pen, for example, the computer system can erase what is written on the paper, and additional content can be written on the paper in natural print-like colors. We achieved this hybrid writing and erasure on paper by localized heating combined with handwriting with thermochromic ink and localized ultraviolet-light exposure on paper coated with photochromic material. This paper describes our research motivation, design, and implementation of this interface and examples of applications.

floatio: Floating Tangible User Interface Based on Animacy Perception

In this study, we propose floatio: a floating tangible user interface that makes it easy to create a perception of animacy (lifelike movement). It has been pointed out that there are three requirements that make animacy more likely to be perceived: interactivity, irregularities, and automatic movement resisting the force of gravity. Based on these requirements, floatio provides a tangible user interface where a polystyrene ball resembling a pixel is suspended in a stream of air where it can be positioned passively by the user, or autonomously by the system itself. To implement floatio, we developed three mechanisms: a floating field mechanism, a pointer input/output mechanism and a hand-over mechanism. We also measured the precision of the pointer input/output and hand-over mechanisms.

SolaColor: space coloration with solar light

SolaColor is a scheme for creating a place (namely, a floor space) whose color is varied in response to sunlight. The aim of this work is to create sustainable spatial rendition by utilizing sunlight. A feature of this spatial-rendition scheme is rendering places by color--rather than contrast---of lighting. By means of SolaColor, areas in sunlight are colored in pink, while shaded areas are colored white. When this scheme is practically applied, time-varying patterns appear in synchronization with the movement of the sun. When a person or object enters a space created by SolaColor, white shadows oriented according to the position of the sun are formed in the manner of a sundial. The scheme can be implemented by utilizing photochromic material and optical design, and it can be introduced in any location under sunlight without the need for an electrical-power supply.

Effects of auditory feedback for augmenting the act of writing

In this paper, focusing on the writing sound when using an ordinary paper and pen, we explain how auditory feedback augments the act of writing. Specifically, we evaluated the effectiveness of the auditory feedback by comparing writing tasks, which involved tracing Chinese characters, Without Feedback (No), with Monaural Feedback (MF), and Stereo Feedback (SF). The results of this study showed that auditory feedback (MF and SF) of writing produced more written characters than Without Feedback (No) and had fewer negative impressions during the writing task.

Photochromic canvas drawing with patterned light

Drawing tools using digital technology can stimulate creativity in people. For example, the Wacky Brush tool in KidPix can produce effects (such as a line of dripping paint or a line of shapes) that cannot be obtained using ordinary paper and brushes [Hickman 1991]. This feature makes it easy for people to draw pictures having a combination of patterns. Such software, however, has so far been used only with electronic displays such as LCDs and PDPs. In this paper, we propose a mechanism that would allow the user to draw such pictures while using paper as a canvas instead of electronic displays. With this mechanism, a variety of patterns can be made to appear along lines traced out by the user by moving an electronic paint brush over paper. The advantages of using paper in this way include a high degree of freedom in shape and size as well as portability.

A system for improvisational musical expression based on player's sense of tempo

This paper introduces a system for improvisational musical expression that enables all users, novice and experienced, to perform intuitively and expressively. Users can generate musically consistent results through intuitive action, inputting rhythm in a decent tempo. We demonstrate novel mapping ways that reflect users input information more interactively and effectively in generating the music. We also present various input devices that allow users more creative liberty.

Hand Gesture and On-body Touch Recognition by Active Acoustic Sensing throughout the Human Body

In this paper, we present a novel acoustic sensing technique that recognizes two convenient input actions: hand gestures and on-body touch. We achieved them by observing the frequency spectrum of the wave propagated in the body, around the periphery of the wrist. Our approach can recognize hand gestures and on-body touch concurrently in real-time and is expected to obtain rich input variations by combining them. We conducted a user study that showed classification accuracy of 97%, 96%, and 97% for hand gestures, touches on the forearm, and touches on the back of the hand.

Inkantatory paper: interactive paper interface with multiple functional inks

There has been an increase in the number of solutions dealing with integrating paper and digital information. For the input method, the Anoto pen enables us to capture handwritten content as digital information. For the display method on paper, there are two approaches: (1) projecting visible light and (2) controlling colors of chromic inks. The authors focus on the latter approach since it can dynamically display information on paper in print-like color. Hand-rewriting [Hashida et al. 2012] realized automatic rewrite processing on paper corresponding to handwriting using regular pen and paper. It utilizes a laser-based heating system to erase handwritten characters with bistable thermochromic ink. However, this means that it works just on a special desk equipped with the laser system.

Spatio-temporal sensing and visualizing of CO 2

Global warming is one of many urgent problems we face and a positive individual attitude to the environment is necessary. The goal of our project is to raise awareness to the carbon dioxide (CO2) surrounding people which is a main factor causing global warming.

A Detachable Exoskeleton Interface that Duplicates the User's Hand Posture and Motions

We propose a technology that duplicates the posture and motions of a persons fingers and separates it from the original fingers, thereby enabling it to be used as a tool. In this study, we present a detachable exoskeleton interface that can record and replay the posture and motions of fingers using a micro servo motor and a telescopic mechanism. The micro servo motor is improved so that both the input and output of angles can be performed, and the telescopic mechanism has a variable length between joints. Wearing this system and recording the posture and motions of the fingers enabled us to test the mechanism for arranging and reproducing them in the real world independently of the user. In this paper, we describe the system implementation, an experiment to check its accuracy, two types of application, and a user study to check its usefulness.