UArts Portal Handout

LABS @MID

Multitouch Portal Information System Research & Development by Josh Chadwick and Giacomo Ciminello

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Current Setup of the Terra Portal (as of 3/1/2010) The technology we are using is called Diffused Infrared. This is the method first used to develop multitouch systems. We choose this for a couple reasons. It lends itself to the space we were provided, as well as rear projection. It is quick to prototype, and most importantly, it’s cheap.

The process of how it works is quite simple. IR arrays flood a screen, and as your fingers touch the screen, the IR camera picks up the light as hot points. The points, or “blobs” are translated by an open source touch recognition software that tags the blobs and feeds those tags to a server which interprets them as mouse points.

IR Camera Frosted Screen

IR Array Short Throw Projector All work rovided herein was under the guidance and supervision of Slavko Milekic & Jonas Milder. Any reproductions of this work without permission are strictly prohibitied.

If you do such an act may you be chased by a raincloud, and have monkeys laugh at you.

their ‘reinvention’ of a rarely tapped resource. The gesture language that Apple established has become the basis of multiple multi-touch application platforms. With an official patent on multi-touch granted on January 29th, 2009, it will be interesting to see how other companies challenge the medium beyond its constraints.

A Study in Student Collaboration In the Fall of 2009, a very simple question was posed. “Why are the students at a University of so many disciplines, not sharing their knowledge amongst each other?” Who is to say that a dancer and graphic designer, couldn’t enhance each others learning experience through a shared knowledge network? Who is to say a film maker and an actor shouldn’t work together? Seemingly simple questions, turned into a vast

Technology Discovery

political and personal journey into the world of academia with surprising results. Was the University really open and supportive of the suggested

Touchscreen technology is changing everyday. With the screens making the way more and more into the mainstream audience, newer, more responsive systems are being developed. We choose to analyze the 4 most popular systems for commercial usage to date. Resistive. Found in many food ordering systems seen at Wawa, OpenTable, or ATM kiosks. Sonic Accoustic Wave. Can be any shape, including curved, shperical, or organic, and it also works underwater. Capacitive. Iphones, Ipads, as well as other smaller screen mobile devices. Infrared. Wall systems, and touch tables as well as smart boards often utilize this technology.

cross pollination?

Through a series of experiments, the study tried to engage the entire UArts community as a whole. The result: 5%. Of 3000 faculty staff and students, only 5% started a line of communication with us. Those, brave 5% of students, faculty and staff actually stepped up, asked what we were doing, and whole-hearted gave themselves up to the greater good. You see, these people are the proactives. These are the artists that look at something, and truly beg to ask the question of why? What are you doing here? And can I be a part of it? They chose to engage in a face to face manner, whether it be with a friend, associate, stranger or mentor.

Multitouch Comparison Technology Durability Stability Transparency Installation Touch Intense Light-Resistant Response Time Following Speed Waterproof

4-wire Resistive 3 Year High Bad Built In/Onwall Anything Good < 10Ms Good Good

SAW 5 Year Higher Good Built In/Onwall Finger/Pen Good 10Ms Low Moderate

Capacative 2 Year Moderate Moderate Built In Conductive Bad < 15 Ms Good Good

Infrared 5 Year High Good Onwall Finger/Pen Bad < 20 Ms Good Moderate

X, Y Detection Pressure Detection AirFlow Detection

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Collaboration is in our blood. It’s the basis by which we were founded, and should be the driving force by which we move forward. So as

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we near our 25 year anniversary, how do we stand? Overall, yes, the University can help reduce the cognitive load of collaboration. It has massive over communication, under communication, and noncommunication issues. One of the suggestions to help with these

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issues, deals with the portals to each building as a means of

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fig. 1.1 points of various cross-discipline intersections at the University

communicating events amongst the populace. The all inclusive UArts Information Board.

The Problem

The Solution

In an age of information overload, it is imperative that we get our messages

The PORTAL System provides an interface that

across clearly. Campus boards are over saturated with information, making it difficult to access and process important information. The goal in addressing this problem was to cut through the printed and online clutter, and provide a clear and easy system that gives students access to information while maintaining a simple method for student input and usability.

resembles a message board for familiarity, but can be easy organized for better navigation.

Using a gesture-based interface that products like the iPhone have made familiar, it becomes intuitive for students to approach and navigate the board.

fig. 1.2 points of communication that a student experiences daily at the University Classified Ads

Actual, Really Important School Announcement

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The Decision to Use Multitouch and its Affordances Natural User Interface, or NUI, is the common parlance used by designers and developers of computer interfaces to refer to a user interface that is effectively invisible, or becomes

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invisible with successive learned interactions, to its users. The word natural is used because most computer interfaces use artificial control devices whose

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fig. 1.3 just a few of the gesture languages Apple helped make mainstream

operation has to be learned. A NUI relies on a user being able to carry out relatively natural motions, movements or gestures that they quickly

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discover control the computer application or manipulate the on-screen content. The most descriptive identifier of a NUI is the lack of a physical keyboard and/or mouse.

www.uarts.edu

Multi-touch technology began in 1982, but gained mainstream exposure to the technology happened in the year 2007. The iPhone gained popularity, with Apple stating they â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;invented multi touchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; as part of the iPhone announcement. With over 45 million iPhones sold to date, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to argue