A framework for bimanual inter-device interactions

A shared interactive display (e.g., a tabletop) provides a large space for collaborative interactions. However, a public display lacks a private space for accessing sensitive information. On the other hand, a mobile device offers a private display and a variety of modalities for personal applications, but it is limited by a small screen. We have developed a framework that supports fluid and seamless interactions among a tabletop and multiple mobile devices. This framework can continuously track each user’s action (e.g., hand movements or gestures) on top of a tabletop and then automatically generate a unique personal interface on an associated mobile device. This type of inter-device interactions integrates a collaborative workspace (i.e., a tabletop) and a private area (i.e., a mobile device) with multimodal feedback. To support this interaction style, an event-driven architecture is applied to implement the framework on the Microsoft PixelSense tabletop. This framework hides the details of user tracking and inter-device communications. Thus, interface designers can focus on the development of domain-specific interactions by mapping user’s actions on a tabletop to a personal interface on his/her mobile device. The results from two different studies justify the usability of the proposed interaction.     

Study of using a multi-touch tabletop technology to facilitate collaboration,interaction, and awareness in co-located environment

This study aimed to evaluate how differently co-located users perform and interact while solving problems by using existing and newly developed interaction mechanisms of a multi-touch tabletop system on a large-size tabletop display. Furthermore, this study aimed to investigate users’ perceived situation awareness due to the system. This study conducted one experiment and introduced three newly developed interaction mechanisms: two-way rubber band, drag-and-response, and centre collection area. Two-way rubber band enables users not only to send but also to request digital objects. Drag-and-response allows users to accept or to reject digital objects sent by others; therefore, it eliminates conflicting situations and interference. Centre collection area stores, organises, and manages shared digital resources on a surface of a tabletop display, so that users have an overall picture of available resources. This paper discusses results of an experiment, research findings, and implications along with conclusions and several suggestions for future development and research.     

A 2D–3D integrated tabletop environment for multi‐user collaboration

This paper proposes a novel tabletop display system for natural communication and flexible information sharing. The proposed system is specifically designed to integrate two‐dimensional (2D) and three‐dimensional (3D) user interfaces by using a multi‐user stereoscopic display, IllusionHole. The proposed system takes awareness into consideration and provides both 2D and 3D information and user interfaces. On the display, a number of standard Windows desktop environments are provided as personal workspaces, as well as a shared workspace with a dedicated graphical user interface. In the personal workspaces, users can simultaneously access existing applications and data, and exchange information between personal and shared workspaces. In this way, the proposed system can seamlessly integrate personal, shared, 2D, and 3D workspaces with conventional user interfaces and effectively support communication and information sharing. To demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed display system, a modeling application was implemented. A preliminary experiment confirmed the effectiveness of this system. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Co-located collaborative visual analytics around a tabletop display

Co-located collaboration can be extremely valuable during complex visual analytics tasks. We present an exploratory study of a system designed to support collaborative visual analysis tasks on a digital tabletop display. Fifteen participant pairs employed Cambiera, a visual analytics system, to solve a problem involving 240 digital documents. Our analysis, supported by observations, system logs, questionnaires, and interview data, explores how pairs approached the problem around the table. We contribute a unique, rich understanding of how users worked together around the table and identify eight types of collaboration styles that can be used to identify how closely people work together while problem solving. We show how the closeness of teams’ collaboration and communication influenced how they performed on the task overall. We further discuss the role of the tabletop for visual analytics tasks and derive design implications for future co-located collaborative tabletop problem solving systems.     

Guest Editors' Introduction: Interacting with Digital Tabletops

A digital tabletop is sufficiently different from the standard desktop computer in that it invites researchers to challenge traditional perspectives on human-computer interaction, such as rethinking the use of a computer as a solitary act, the activities people do with computers, the types of social interactions that can be part of digital interactions, and how the interplay between digital and social needs can be supported. This special issue on digital tabletops provides a sample of the research being conducted in this domain.     

Interactive Tabletop Exhibits in Museums and Galleries

Just as online shopping is a bellwether of advanced online technologies, so are museum and gallery showcases for the best in computer display and interface technology. In the first case, commerce demands that speed and reliability get priority, in the latter, technological invisibility is foremost. The museum experience is an unusually tactile, sensual one, and the standard keyboard-mouse-and-screen setup might seem out of place. This trend toward sensual involvement is particularly noticeable in tabletop displays, as they appeal to two aspects of familiar daily life: the horizontal surface as a workspace, and hand gestures (or common objects) as tools for manipulating information.     

基于 TD_SCDMA 电子相框的照片分享方案

随着数码相机的普及,拍摄的数码照片呈几何级数增加,除了少部分会被冲洗成纸质照片以外,大部分数码照片都会被保存在电子存储设备中。电子相框是非常适合的存储设备,兼具展示数码照片的功能,近年来正在蓬勃发展。本文分析了电子相框发展的现状和业务需求,针对传统电子相框面临照片更新与共享的问题,提出了一种基于TD_SCDMA（Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access）的照片分享方案,将电子相框接入UMTS（Universal Mobile Telecommunications System,通用移动通信系统）,采用电子相框统一服务平台实现了照片在手机、电脑和电子相框之间的无缝分享。     

Tabletop integral imaging 3D display system based on annular point light source

When the viewers sitting around the table observe 3D images, the viewing direction is generally oblique and the viewpoints should be distributed as annular. In this paper, a tabletop integral imaging (II) three-dimensional (3D) display system based on annular point light sources is demonstrated, which can present 3D images to multiple viewers in a standard annular viewing area with oblique viewing direction. The proposed system consists of annular point light sources, a Fresnel lens, a lens array, a two-dimensional (2D) display panel, and a diffuser screen. Each point light source illuminates the Fresnel lens to form parallel light and then illuminates the lens array and the display panel. A viewing sub-area is generated at the position of the diffuser screen, in which the 3D images can be viewed. Multiple viewing sub-areas are created in a way of time-division multiplexing to form a 360° annular viewing area. Compared with the previous tabletop 3D display, the viewing area can be concentrated at an oblique angle near the tabletop. The experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of the tabletop II 3D display system.     

Interactive tree comparison for co-located collaborative information visualization

In many domains increased collaboration has lead to more innovation by fostering the sharing of knowledge, skills, and ideas. Shared analysis of information visualizations does not only lead to increased information processing power, but team members can also share, negotiate, and discuss their views and interpretations on a dataset and contribute unique perspectives on a given problem. Designing technologies to support collaboration around information visualizations poses special challenges and relatively few systems have been designed. We focus on supporting small groups collaborating around information visualizations in a co-located setting, using a shared interactive tabletop display. We introduce an analysis of challenges and requirements for the design of co-located collaborative information visualization systems. We then present a new system that facilitates hierarchical data comparison tasks for this type of collaborative work. Our system supports multi-user input, shared and individual views on the hierarchical data visualization, flexible use of representations, and flexible workspace organization to facilitate group work around visualizations.     

某型机载高度表指示器数字化显示电路设计

机载高度表磁电指针式显示器存在着读数精度不高、抗震性差、非线性程度不好、模拟数据不易存储等缺陷,将高度表指示器进行数字化显示处理,除了方便读取高度数据和提高读数精度外,还能将高度数据存储到计算机内配合其他作战数据处理系统使用,进而提高设备的综合性能;针对这一问题,根据模拟高度电压信号特点,利用MCS-51单片机及接口电路设计了高度表指示器数字化显示电路。通过接口电路功能扩展和软件编程对高度表模拟高度电压进行采样量化、A/D转换、非线性修正以及LED数码显示;实践结果表明,该数字化电路显示精度高、数据易存储、制作成本低、通用性强,只需修改查表程序即可应用于其他高度表磁电示器的数字化显示,在模拟信号数字化显示处理方面具有一定的典型性。     

Design and implementation of software for assembly and browsing of 3D brain atlases

Visualization software for three dimensional digital brain atlases present many challenges in design and implementation. These challenges include the design of an effective human interface, management of large data sets, display speed when slicing the data set for viewing/browsing, and the display of delineated volumes of interest (VOI). We present a software design, implementation and storage architecture that addresses these issues, allowing the user to navigate through a reconstructed volume quickly and smoothly, with an easy-to-use human interface. The software (macostat, for use with Macintosh OS) allows the user to rapidly display slices of the digital atlas at any arbitrary slicing angle, complete with delineated VOIs. The VOIs can be assigned colors of the user's choosing. The entire atlas, or selected portions, may be resliced with slices stored as individual image files, complete with delineations. These delineations may be transferred to corresponding sections of experimental materials using our analysis program (brain). The software may be obtained from the laboratory's web site: http://www.neuroterrain.org     

Lumisight Table: an interactive view-dependent tabletop display

A novel tabletop display provides different images to different users surrounding the system. It can also capture users' gestures and physical objects on the tabletop. The Lumisight Table approach is based on the optical design of a special screen system composed of a building material called Lumisty and a Fresnel lens. The system combines these films and a lens with four projectors to display four different images, one for each user's view. In addition, we need appropriate input methods for this display media. In the current state of the project, we can control computers by placing physical objects on the display or placing our hands over the display. This screen system also makes it possible to use a camera to capture the appearance of the tabletop from inside of the system. Our other main idea is to develop attractive and specialized applications on the Lumisight Table, including games and applications for computer-supported cooperative-work (CSCW) environments. The projected images can be completely different from each other, or partially identical and partially different. Users can share the identical parts as public information, because all users can see it. This article is available with a short video documentary on CD-ROM.     

Review on tabletop true 3D display

Tabletop three‐dimensional (3D) display is an attractive display technology that allows multiple individuals around the table to view the reconstructed 3D objects simultaneously, which can be applied to a variety of application scenarios such as desktop conference and board games. In this review paper, the tabletop true 3D display has been characterized and classified into four categories based on the technologies of light field display, integral imaging, and volumetric 3D and holographic 3D displays. Moreover, the comparisons of these technologies are listed, and the prospect of the tabletop 3D display is discussed.     

A Longitudinal Study of Workspace Design for Knowledge Exploration and Exploitation in the Research and Development Process

In order to leverage organizational learning, scholars have already defined but are still discussing the interpretation of two different learning types, exploration and exploitation. Exploring new frontiers across knowledge domains and maintaining the balance with exploiting the existing knowledge is critical for the prosperity of an organization. The spatial dimension of organizational learning considers that proximity of employees has an influence on their learning activities, but from a rather macro perspective without taking workspace design into account. We account for these issues by examining the impact of workspace design on knowledge exploration and exploitation on the micro level at distinct stages along the value chain (i.e., the research, development and project market team unit) of Novartis, a pharmaceutical company. In a longitudinal study, employees of the three cases have been interviewed and observed over the course of three years, before and after workspace redesign. With the change from a cellular to an open workspace, employees become closer and highly visible to each other, which influences knowledge work. As the cases occurred sequentially in time, design principles were derived. The findings suggest that exploitation is supported by workspace design that leads to high proximity inducing faster feedback cycles and first‐hand information. Exploration, however, is supported by workspace design that leads to high visibility triggering more cross‐functional interactions and thereby the variability of knowledge. The later the stage in the research and development process, the higher the need for balanced learning activities. This balance is well reflected in a ‘multi‐space’ workspace consisting of shared meeting areas, quiet zones, central staircases and integrated laboratories and desk areas.     

Understanding children's collaborative interactions in shared environments

  Traditional computer technology offers limited support for face-to-face, synchronous collaboration. Consequently, children who wish to collaborate while using computers must adapt their interactions to the single-user paradigm of most personal computers. Recent technological advances have enabled the development of co-located groupware systems offering support for concurrent, multi–user interactions around a shared display. These systems provide a unique collaboration environment in which users share both the physical and the virtual workspace. This paper examines how such technology impacts children's collaboration. Findings from this research show that when concurrent, multi–user interaction is supported on a shared display, children exhibit collaborative behaviour similar to their interactions during paper-based activities. The findings also suggest strengths and weaknesses of various mechanisms for supporting synchronous interactions that have implications for the design of computer systems to support children's face-to-face collaboration.     

基于半色调技术的印前图像篡改检测方法

本文印前图像特指图像数字排版经编辑确认后的数字印刷样张,其以栅格处理器分色后的加网二进制形式存储.数字样张一经确认,其来源的合法性便不受怀疑.但是,从印刷的整体流程来看,数字样张的存储、传输过程中仍有较大的篡改风险.现有的复制移动篡改检测算法存在特征维度高、计算开销大或检测率较低等问题,而且不适用于分色后的二进制样张.本文提出了一种基于半色调图像网点密度特征的Copy-Move篡改检测方法,该方法针对分色处理后的CMYK目标图像的二值量化处理,采用滑动分块的方法对目标图像进行分块,通过提取图像块CMYK四个通道的局部网点密度特征对图像块进行篡改检测.实验结果表明,该方法在图像篡改检测上较以往方法相比具有较低的时间复杂度和较高的检测率,并且对图像篡改区域的旋转攻击、小尺度缩放攻击等具有较好的鲁棒性.     

基于查表法的点阵LCD菜单编程

介绍了一种点阵LCD菜单的编程方法,将菜单项的有关显示信息存储在程序ROM区,在进行显示时,通过查表获取显示信息,并送入LCD进行菜单项的显示。     

Roles of Orientation in Tabletop Collaboration: Comprehension, Coordination and Communication

In order to support co-located collaboration, many researchers are now investigating how to effectively augment tabletops with electronic displays. As far back as 1988, orientation was recognized as a significant human factors issue that must be addressed by electronic tabletop designers. As with traditional tables, when people stand or sit at different positions around a horizontal display they will be viewing the contents from different angles. One common solution to this problem is to have the software reorient objects so that a given individual can view them ‘right way up.’ Yet is this the best approach? If not, how do people actually use orientation on tables? To answer these questions, we conducted an observational study of collaborative activity on a traditional table. Our results show that the strategy of reorienting objects to a person’s view is overly simplistic: while important, it is an incomplete view of how people exploit their ability to reorient objects. Orientation proves critical in how individuals comprehend information, how collaborators coordinate their actions, and how they mediate communication. The coordinating role of orientation is evident in how people establish personal and group spaces and how they signal ownership of objects. In terms of communication, orientation is useful in initiating communicative exchanges and in continuing to speak to individuals about particular objects and work patterns as collaboration progresses. The three roles of orientation have significant implications for the design of tabletop software and the assessment of existing tabletop systems.     

嵌入式Linux导航电子地图数据的组织及应用

为满足嵌入式系统中电子地图显示、导航的需要,研究了电子地图的数据组织与存储,提出采用地理数据分块实现数据的存储,并针对地理数据的存储方法所造成的数据不连贯性,研究了数据断点的处理方法。试验结果表明,研究的数据动态组织方法大大提高了地图显示的速度及数据连贯性。     

Recency-based storage assignment and warehouse configuration for recurrent demands

Storage assignment is an important decision problem in warehouse operation management. In conventional problem settings of distribution warehouses, stock items are stored in bulk but retrieved in small quantities. Storage assignment methods typically make use of demand attribute information of order quantity, order frequency and correlation between demands. In this paper, we address a different problem in which the request for the same stock items is stochastically recurrent. The problem arises when the items are needed in production and, after production, are returned to warehouses for later reuse. Examples of such items include tooling in factory, books in library and digital objects in data warehouses. Utilizing the recurrent characteristics, a salient recency-based storage assignment policy and an associated cascaded warehouse configuration are proposed and analyzed in this paper. This paper has four parts. In the first part, a model of recurrent demand is described. In the second part, the efficiency of the recency-based policy and a traditional ID-based policy is analyzed. In the third part, a mathematical programming model for optimal configuration of cascaded warehouses is presented. Finally, a case study of hospital visits is presented. This paper concludes with recommendations on cascading and zoning the warehouse for applying the recency-based policy.