A tangible user interface with multimodal feedback

Abstract

Tangible user interface allows the user to manipulate digital information intuitively through physical things which are connected to digital contents spatially and computationally. It takes advantage of human ability to manipulate delicate objects precisely. In this paper, we present a novel tangible user interface, SmartPuck system, which consists of a PDP-based table display, SmartPuck having a built-in actuated wheel and button for the physical interactions, and a sensing module to track the position of SmartPuck. Unlike passive physical things in the previous systems, SmartPuck has built-in sensors and actuator providing multimodal feedback such as visual feedback by LEDs, auditory feedback by a speaker, and haptic feedback by an actuated wheel. It gives a feeling as if the user works with physical object. We introduce new tangible menus to control digital contents just as we interact with physical devices. In addition, this system is used to navigate geographical information in Google Earth program. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007.