Open Innovation: The New Imperative for Creating and Profiting from Technology

Recent advances in sensing technology have enabled a new generation of tabletop displays that can sense multiple points of input from several users simultaneously. However, apart from a few demonstration techniques [17], current user interfaces do not take advantage of this increased input bandwidth. We present a variety of multifinger and whole hand gestural interaction techniques for these displays that leverage and extend the types of actions that people perform when interacting on real physical tabletops. Apart from gestural input techniques, we also explore interaction and visualization techniques for supporting shared spaces, awareness, and privacy. These techniques are demonstrated within a prototype room furniture layout application, called RoomPlanner.

/pdf/multi-finger-and-whole-hand-gestural-interaction-techniques-9v5zsrmq62.pdf

Multi-finger and whole hand gestural interaction techniques for multi-user tabletop displays

Augmented reality applications in design and manufacturing

Tangible user interfaces (TUIs) provide physical form to digital information and computation, facilitating the direct manipulation of bits. Our goal in TUI development is to empower collaboration, learning, and design by using digital technology and at the same time taking advantage of human abilities to grasp and manipulate physical objects and materials. This paper discusses a model of TUI, key properties, genres, applications, and summarizes the contributions made by the Tangible Media Group and other researchers since the publication of the first Tangible Bits paper at CHI 1997. http://tangible.media.mit.edu/

http://www.nomads.usp.br/pesquisas/design/objetos_interativos/arquivos/restrito/TUI_Tangible%20Bits_Beyond%20Pixels.pdf

Tangible bits: beyond pixels

Computers and the collaborative experience of learning

It is time to go beyond the established approaches in humancomputer interaction. With the Augmented Reality (AR) design strategy humans are able to behave as much as possible in a natural way: behavior of humans in the real world with other humans and/or real world objects. Following the fundamental constraints of natural way of interacting we derive a set of recommendations for the next generation of user interfaces: the Natural User Interface (NUI). The concept of NUI is presented in form of a runnable demonstrator: a computer vision-based interaction technique for a planning tool for construction and design tasks.

BUILD-IT: a planning tool for construction and design

The front-end phase of the innovation process decides over up to two-thirds of the total cost for new product development. Practitioners and innovation researchers agree upon the relevance of this early innovation stage which consists of opportunity identification, idea generation and evaluation, business-plan development and product conception. Yet the need for structuring the front-end phase for more performance in innovation is slowly gaining recognition. 
Companies' current product development processes concentrate on sequential methodologies. They are not transferable to the fuzzy front-end phase with its iterative learning cycles. As a result, product requirements and technical feasibilities are typically not fixed before the official product development process starts. Furthermore customer requirements are neither fully explicit nor stable. They must be uncovered or stimulated by prototype modules which can be viewed, explored and understood by customers. Consequently, this study develops a process-methodology for a structured innovation front-end phase taking into account iterative learning cycles between product development stakeholders. This idea parallels the "extreme programming' approach known from the software development. Short cycles with high iterative learning potential have increased efficiency and effectiveness of the innovation process by factors.
The empirical base of our study consists of 19 in-depth case studies with European companies from different modular industries. The first outcome of our ongoing research provides an iterative and semi-structured process model for frontloading the explicit and hidden customer requirements.

Towards a Structured and Integrative Front-End of Product Innovation

In this article we wish to show a method that goes beyond the established approaches of human-computer interaction. We first bring a serious critique of traditional interface types, showing their major drawbacks and limitations. Promising alternatives are offered by Virtual (or: immersive) Reality (VR) and by Augmented Reality (AR). The AR design strategy enables humans to behave in a nearly natural way. Natural interaction means human actions in the real world with other humans and/or with real world objects. Guided by the basic constraints of natural interaction, we derive a set of recommendations for the next generation of user interfaces: the Natural User Interface (NUI). Our approach to NUIs is discussed in the form of a general framework followed by a prototype. The prototype tool builds on video-based interaction, and supports construction and plant layout. A first empirical evaluation is briefly presented.

/pdf/build-it-a-computer-vision-based-interaction-technique-for-a-1pmvh2hena.pdf

BUILD-IT: A Computer Vision-based Interaction Technique for a Planning Tool

Author(s): Staadt, Oliver G.; Kunz, A.; Meier, M.; Gross, Markus | Abstract: In this paper, we report ongoing work in a new project, The Blue-C. The goal of this project is to build a collaborative, immersive virtual environment which will eventually integrate real humans, captured by a set of video cameras. Two Blue-C.s will be interconnected via a high-speed network. This will allow for bi-directional collaboration and interaction between two persons sharing virtual spaces. The video streams are used for both texture and geometry extraction. We will generate a 3-D light field inlay enriched with the reconstructed geometry, which will be integrated into the virtual environment. The design and construction of the Blue-C. environment, including both hardware and software, is an interdisciplinary effort with participants from the departments of computer science, architecture, product development, and electrical engineering. Parallel to the development of the core system, we are designing new applications in the areas of computer aided architectural design, product reviewing, and medicine, which will highlight the versatility of the Blue-C.

/pdf/the-blue-c-integrating-real-humans-into-a-networked-3ffltel1ns.pdf

The Blue-C Integrating Real Humans into a Networked Immersive Environment

In this article we present a method that goes beyond the established approaches of human-computer interaction. We first bring a serious critique of traditional interface types, showing their major drawbacks and limitations. Promising alternatives are offered by virtual (or immersive) reality (VR) and by augmented reality (AR). The AR design strategy enables humans to behave in a nearly natural way. Natural interaction means human actions in the real world with other humans and/or with real world objects. Guided by the basic constraints of natural interaction, we derive a set of recommendations for the next generation of user interfaces: the natural user interface (NUI). Our approach to NUIs is discussed in the form of a general framework followed by a prototype. The prototype tool builds on video-based interaction and supports construction and plant layout. A first empirical evaluation is briefly presented.

/pdf/a-gesture-based-interaction-technique-for-a-planning-tool-14z1om9dhm.pdf

Markus Meier

Papers

BUILD-IT: a planning tool for construction and design

Towards a Structured and Integrative Front-End of Product Innovation

BUILD-IT: A Computer Vision-based Interaction Technique for a Planning Tool

The Blue-C Integrating Real Humans into a Networked Immersive Environment

A gesture based interaction technique for a planning tool for construction and design