Multi-touch, Multi-user Table Prototype
October 9th, 2008 by Jim SpadacciniThis week we completed building our first multi-touch table prototype. With customized software, a 50″ diagonal surface, and a resolution of 1280 x 720 the table is designed to accommodate multiple simultaneous users. The table is comprised of a short throw projector, infrared LEDs, two infrared cameras, and projection screen which adheres to the tempered glass top. The framing material is extruded aluminum. We sourced the materials from all of the world; Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Canada, Japan, and the US.
The base software that communicates with the infrared cameras is called Snowflake and is developed by Natural User Interface, a company in Sweden. We’re developing a gesture recognition library in Flash, that will allow us to plug in support for various gestures in the exhibits that we develop.
The screen shots (above) show how the software detects the drawing of circle. The green lines represent extensions of line segments captured when the finger is moved across the table surface. The yellow points show intersection points, the final point of interest is where the circle is closed. By detecting that point we can distinguish between circles, infinity signs, and spirals using basic topology. This is just one of many gestures were exploring.
This first table prototype has led to designs for a production version that we will be installing this winter at the Don Harrington Discovery Center in Amarillo, Texas. We’ll be conducting user-testing there as we work through the design challenges that a multiple user and gesture-based interface presents. Our first application will be a mashup allowing museum visitors to explore satellite maps and photographs. A similar application is also in the works for the Vulcan Park and Museum in Birmingham, Alabama to be installed in Spring of 2009.
We’re excited about the potential that multi-touch and multi-user exhibits present. Visitors can easily collaborate and communicate around these table-top exhibits. The use of intuitive gestures can allow us, as designers, to move away from traditional graphical user interfaces and toward a set of more natural and intuitive controls.
We’ve proposed a full-day workshop on multitouch and Internet applications for the Museums and the Web 2009 Conference. I’ll write another blog post once the workshops for the conference are announced. We’ll post more updates as we continue to work on these exhibits.
October 9th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
It is really exciting to see some pictures of this device that I’ve heard you talk about. I am totally interested to check out the Snowflake tool as well. Thanks for talking about that level of detail here.
The session at MATW would be great. Several of us here at the Science Museum of Minnesota are working on a similar project in partnership with the Electronic Visualization Laboratory at the University of Illinois in Chicago.(video here) It will be useful to share ideas about how this new technology can be used in our museum space. I am specifically interested in figuring out how we make this kind of experience accessible to our visitors in chairs.
I hope you keep posting about your work with this product here.
October 9th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Hi Jim, this is really interesting and hope you get something happening for M&W2009. We developed a large touch table in our new Surviving Australia exhibition. While it is not so much about visitors creating their own content, the idea behind it was to enable visitors to follow their own interests in learning about “dangerous” Australian animals - you can see the video here (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=pYuy4MfKv0k).
I’m also working on a user needs analysis for a project called the Atlas of Living Australia, a website that will eventually provide a one-stop shop for information and data about Australia’s flora and fauna. Mapping and mash-ups are a key need identified in our study and I think we’ll have a lot to learn from your work so looking forward to hearing more.
October 9th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Bryan, Lynda,
Thanks for sharing these interesting examples. The design challenges this technology presents is truly fascinating. Bryan as to your point about making accessible to visitors in chairs, one important point I forgot to mention. Our table is 31″ tall making it much accessible, this was a real challenge in developing the first prototype.
October 9th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
It is good to see interactive tables finding homes in museums! Keep up the great work.
I work with students who have a variety of disabilities, so I’m interested in accessibility and usability factors related to interactive tables and displays.
October 10th, 2008 at 12:16 am
Hi Jim - interesting to see more an more of these sorts of developments. I work in a primary school in England and I think that their is a great future for such displays in classrooms and as a tool to support and enhance learning.
We have been lucky enough to be directly involved with one such project ourselves here is a blog post I wrote about it http://tbarrett.edublogs.org/2008/09/27/the-philips-entertaible-in-our-school/
I would be interested to see what you make of it all or if you have considered your own device to have a place in schools?
October 13th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Tom,
Thanks for link and I’ve subscribed to your blog. In answer to your question most our experience is with museums, so we’re not thinking much about formal education at the moment. Our main multi-touch developer, Paul Lacey comes from the formal education world, so who knows, it might be something we look at in the future.