Ambient Interaction
Justin and I went to the local movie theater a few weeks ago, and I was completely amazed by the interactive floor they had setup in one corner of the lobby. After doing some research I found the company who created the technology, Reactrix.
It works like this: there is a floor (in this case a white hard surface so the projection could be easily seen) or some other surface on which a video/screen/image is projected. In addition to the projector, there is an infra-red receiver which checks for activity between the projector and the display surface. When it detects an object or movement, it uses that input to give visual feedback to the user via the projected image.
The kids in the movie theater LOVED this thing. Not knowing or caring how it worked, you could see them stomping, swiping, and waving their body over the floorspace to bounce balls, pop popcorn, and swirl colored clouds. My favorite display was much more peaceful but with the same amount of interaction. A top-down view of a koi pond was projected on to the floor, and when you walked on (or waved your hand over) the floor, you could see ripples in the water and the fish would swim away from the area of activity.
I want one.
The best part was how unintrusive this device was, both physically and mentally. There was no annoying feedback if you accidently stepped on the floor, and no damage done if you didnt react or interact with it correctly. Think of it like the ’smart’ thermostats we have now, where they sense the environment and adjust as you have told it to, but do not alert you persistantly (no beeping when it has changed a setting or needs input) or distract you in any way. Or even like speakers which sense your position and rotate the set up in order to give you the most balanced sound experience. Helpful, entertaining, but not intrusive to your lifestyle.
After seeing the koi pond the first application I thought of was an ambient living room or coffee room floor. The panel could be the floor underneath a glass or transparent coffee table in the middle of a sitting room. The fish would be nothing but decoration and ambience until yourself or a guest reach over to grab your cup and disturb the fish. Simple entertainment, a center piece to talk about, movement and ambience in decor, and a sense of something living in such a static world.
During E3 2005, Nintendo had Reactrix set up an interactive floor [google video] in their booth. It was so well received that many visitors thought it was a new Nintendo technology, not just a marketing display. Here is a more detailed article abou the Nintendo E3 display at N-Sider. They had a similar interactive koi pond, but as you walked on the water planks would float up and ’support’ your feet.
New technology often starts as an entertainment project until someone figures out how to sell it for use otherwise. A reactive display like this could be used for all sorts of things from physical therapy aids to military maps and dashboards. The implementation (infra-red receiving) may not be applicable, but regardless of how the action is detected (heat, movement, infra-red, laser, pressure) the same concepts and interactions can apply.
That koi pond display sounds awesome. I want one too! I saw something like this in the MIT Museum the form of a marble game, the kind where you guide a marble through a wooden maze by tilting the board and try to avoid letting the marble fall into any of the holes: http://www.flickr.com/photos/41894169961@N01/54305749/in/set-1177424/