Papers
UIST 2002
Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology
Paris, France
October 27 - 30 2002
2119 KB


The Actuated Workbench: Computer-Controlled Actuation in Tabletop Tangible Interfaces
Gian Pangaro, Dan Maynes-Aminzade, Hiroshi Ishii
MIT Media Lab
[pangaro, monzy, ishii]@media.mit.edu

ABSTRACT

The Actuated Workbench is a device that uses magnetic forces to move objects on a table in two dimensions. It is intended for use with existing tabletop tangible interfaces, providing an additional feedback loop for computer output, and helping to resolve inconsistencies that otherwise arise from the computer's inability to move objects on the table. We describe the Actuated Workbench in detail as an enabling technology, and then propose several applications in which this technology could be useful.