The continuing development of miniature low-power sensors marks a
historic period in the relationships between people and machines. On
the one hand, these devices raise the terrible spectre of invasive
surveillance. At the same time, they create the potential for new
modes of interaction and communication. New interface ecosystems can
sense, recognize, respond to, and represent nuances in
in our environments and in our bodies.
They spawn new forms of communication.
The Interface Ecology Lab is emphasizing processes of
human expression and social interaction as we develop sensory
interfaces that involve embodied awareness of the human body and the physical world.
We integrate sensor networks with methods from ubiquitous, pervasive, and wearable computing, real time embedded systems, psychophysiology, pattern recognition, performance studies, installation art, conceptual art, and context-aware, location-aware and embodied HCI. The Cypress PSoC (Programmable System on a Chip) is a favorite building block, because it enables flexible configuration of hardware interfaces to sensors, a/d and d/a conversion, and signal processing, speeding prototype development.
The new sensory forms of embodied interactivity are based in our physical and corporeal beings. The forms we are creating include mixed-reality games, installations, body-based affordances, and aesthetic design environments.
ZeroTouch
ZeroTouch is our own multi-finger sensor. ZeroTouch is notable for its ability to easily integrate with existing LCD displays, turning any LCD into a multi-touch surface. Tablet displays, such as Wacom Cintiq, are transformed into next-generation pen+hand platforms for natural user interaction.
trans-surface interaction
We are developing new methods for trans-surface interaction, that is interaction across multi-touch surfaces.
Embodied cognition is key. We inform our designs through the use of culturally based design, a method that draws
from the embodied experiences of activities embedded in culture. By mimicking these well established activities, interactions activate
people's embodied mental models.
This makes the interactions intuitive and familiar, as they draw from prior experiences.
Our culturally based designs draw a variety of contexts, ranging from card playing to sharing and exchanging photographs.
Our long term objective is to give people interactive experiences in which embodied gestures performed by the human hand are mapped to actions in ways that are natural, meaningful and intuitive.
publications and exhibitions
Kerne, A., Hamilton, W., Toups, Z. Culturally Based Design: Embodying Trans-Surface Interaction in Rummy Proc CSCW 2012, in press [top 9%].
Damaraju, S., Kerne, A., Comparing Multi-Touch Interaction Techniques for Manipulation of an Abstract Parameter Space, accepted to Proc. International Conference on Multimodal Interaction (ICMI) 2011.
Moeller, J. and Kerne, A., ZeroTouch: A Zero-Thickness Optical Multi-Touch Force Field, CHI Interactivity -- Extended Abstracts of the 29th International Conference on Human factors in computing systems, May 7-12, 2011, Vancouver, BC, CA.
[video]
Moeller, J., Lupfer, N., Hamilton, B., Lin, H., Kerne, A., intangibleCanvas: Free-Air Finger Painting on a Projected Canvas , CHI Works-in-Progress -- Extended Abstracts of the 29th International Conference on Human factors in computing systems, May 7-12, 2011, Vancouver, BC, CA.
Moeller, J. and Kerne, A., Scanning FTIR: Unobtrusive Multi-Touch Sensing through Waveguide Transmissivity Imaging, Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction, Cambridge, MA, Janurary 25-27 2010.
Damaraju, S., Kerne, A. Multitouch Gesture Learning and Recognition System. , Extended Abstracts of IEEE Workshop on Tabletops and Interactive Surfaces, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1-3 October 2008.
Webb, A., Kerne, A., Koh, E., Joshi, P., Park, Y., Graeber, R., Choreographic Buttons: Promoting Social Interaction through Human Movement and Clear Affordances, ACM Multimedia 2006, Santa Barbara, CA.
Toups, Z., Overby, K., Kerne, A., Graeber, R., Cooper, T., Alley, E., Censor Chair, ACM SIGCHI Intl Conf on Advances in Computer Entertainment, June 2006, Hollywood.
Alley, E. Cooper, T., Graeber, R., Kerne, A., Overby, K., Toups, Z.,
Censor Chair: Exploring Censorship and Social Presence
through Psychophysiological Sensing, Proc ACM Multimedia 2005, 922-929.
