Inexpensive Immersive Environments

Abstract

For adults, immersive environments for collaboration and play are expensive computer-intensive novelties. For children, they are commonplace but computer-free: kindergarten classrooms and playgrounds. Kids know how to develop, and spontaneously learn from imaginary play. If children were provided with robust, intuitive, and inexpensive computer-enabled environments they would thrive, learn, and engage in creative play, not just in physical and social worlds, but within increasingly important virtual worlds. We have developed a potentially ubiquitous, robust, intuitive, and cheap computer-enabled immersive environment for children, and have designed interactive technology that can be configured to support and enhance, rather than to structure and constrain children's play.