Tangible Bits: Towards Seamless Interfaces between People, Bits and Atoms - Response

Tangible Bits: Towards Seamless Interfaces between People, Bits and Atoms.


Human Computer Interaction, or "Tangible Bits", enables users to be aware of background bits at the periphery of human perception using ambient display media such as light, sound, airflow and water movement in an augmented space. Tangible bits are used to bridge the gaps between both cyberspace and the physical environment. To create a background for human activities. We humans are now almost constantly wired to some form of tangible bits by always have cyberspace in out physical environment. This article raised an interesting question of how can we move past the graphic user interfaces (GUIs) that is shown on computers and other rectangular displays and make it all truly ubiquitous and invisible. A way to make this possible is by wireless networking combined with tangible user interfaces (TUIs). A form of TUI would be installing interactive surfaces into a living, teaching and meeting environment. This could be transforming each surface in an architectural space, (walls, ceilings, doors, windows) into an active interface between the physical and virtual worlds. To make cyberspace even more connected to the periphery of human perception, we can use ambient media which is the use of sound, light, airflow, and water movement for background interfaces to make all the technology feel and seem more natural to a user. The use of water in an ambient media of tangible interaction could be having a sink running and running your finger up and down the stream of water to change the temperature so that you can feel and have control of the heat of water at the same time just by touching it. This article ends with studies in all this information can allow users to grasp and manipulate foreground bits by coupling bits with physical objects, and enabling users to be aware of background bits at the periphery using ambient media in an augmented space. This is all really cool in understanding how we can merge technology into our everyday lives without even knowing it. The delivery of computation should be transparent in the future. The most common approach to augmented reality is by sending digital visual information to a head mounted display device or video projection. ClearBoard is a way to make architectural spaces more real virtual and interactive. A graspable user interface allows direct control of virtual objects through physical handles called "bricks". Bricks can be attached to virtual objects making a virtual reality more physical and graspable. LiveWire is a wire connected to a network of bits flowing through it and is tangibly interactive through motion, sound and even touch. ambientROOM is a graphically intensive interaction using light, shadow, sound, airflow and water flow as a means for communication information to the human perception. A cool question this made me think of is, how can you make a user feel rain through an augmented reality without getting wet? Using all these functions in an ambientROOM takes advantage of our brains natural abilities to work as a parallel processor and attention manager. This article mentions that the most compelling interface in spanning virtual and physical space is through optical stimulation using bits to manipulate light and shadows. However, GUIs still fall short of embracing the richness of human senses and skills people have developed through a lifetime of interaction with the physical world.