Tangible Media Group

Vision-Driven Design: Beyond Tangible Bits toward Radical Atoms, Beyond Telepresence toward TeleAbsence

"Visions have always driven my design. In this talk, I will trace the evolution of my design visions over the past three decades—from Tangible Bits to Radical Atoms—since joining the MIT Media Lab in 1995. I will then introduce my latest and perhaps final vision, TeleAbsence, which moves beyond Telepresence.

Tangible Bits and Radical Atoms aim to realize seamless interfaces between humans, digital information, and the physical environment by giving dynamic physical form to digital computation. Tangible Bits make bits directly manipulable and perceptible, while Radical Atoms imagine a future where atoms themselves dance—changing their shape and properties computationally.

My journey began at NTT Human Interface Laboratories in the early 1990s, where I designed Seamless Telepresence media such as ClearBoard. At the Media Lab, this vision evolved into Tangible Telepresence, merging with the Radical Atoms vision. Now, in the concluding chapter of this exploration, TeleAbsence envisions illusory communication media that embody the presence of absence, inviting reflection on how technology mediates not only connection, but also separation, memory, and loneliness.

I will conclude my talk by sharing three guiding principles that have shaped my vision-driven research: Be Artistic & Analytic, Be Poetic & Pragmatic, and Be Romantic & Realistic. And I will close with this message: “Life has an endpoint, but the future is never-ending. Technology soon becomes obsolete, but true vision is everlasting. What legacy will you leave for those living in 2200?”