Tangible display systems: direct interfaces for computer-based studies of surface appearance

When evaluating the surface appearance of real objects, observers engage in complex behaviors involving active manipulation and dynamic viewpoint changes that allow them to observe the changing patterns of surface reflections. We are developing a class of tangible display systems to provide these natural modes of interaction in computer-based studies of material perception. A first-generation tangible display was created from an off-the-shelf laptop computer containing an accelerometer and webcam as standard components. Using these devices, custom software estimated the orientation of the display and the user's viewing position. This information was integrated with a 3D rendering module so that rotating the display or moving in front of the screen would produce realistic changes in the appearance of virtual objects. In this paper, we consider the design of a second-generation system to improve the fidelity of the virtual surfaces rendered to the screen. With a high-quality displa...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2010
• Where: HVEI
• Authors: Benjamin A. Darling, James A. Ferwerda
• Keywords: Emerging Technology, First-generation Tangible Display, HVEI 2010, Tangible Display, Tangible Display Systems