period of projectstarted in December 2008

involved peopleDipl.-Ing. Martin Spindler,
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Raimund Dachselt and
Dipl.-Ing. Jana Sieber (bis Mai 2009)

type of advancementfunded by the BMBF

Videos

Tangible MagicLens Interaction

Abstract

To solve the challenge of exploring large information spaces on interactive surfaces such as tabletops, we developed an optically tracked, lightweight, passive display (magic lens) that provides elegant three-dimensional exploration of rich datasets. This can either be volumetric, layered, zoomable, or temporal information spaces, which are mapped onto the physical volume above a tabletop. By moving the magic lens through the volume, corresponding data is displayed, thus serving as a window into virtuality. Hereby, various interaction techniques are introduced, which especially utilize the lens’ height in a novel way, e.g. for zooming or displaying various information layers.

Application Scenarios

Scenario 1: Volumetric Information Space

sliced head 1
sliced head 2
sliced head 3
sliced head 4

In this scenario, users can slice through an MRI scan of a human head by simply moving or tilting the magic lens in the physical space above the tabletop.

Scenario 2: Layered Information Space

skeleton layer
muscular layer
blood system layer
nerve system layer

Various layers of information, in this case representing different human body systems, can be chosen from by lifting and lowering the magic lens.

Scenario 3: Zoomable Information Space

leaf
leaf
city
city

Various large images are displayed on the tabletop. Users can examine details (zooming in/out) by lifting or lowering the magic lens above the tabletop. A projected contour line of the magic lens is depicted on the tabletop in order to visualize the lens’ current position within the image.

Scenario 4: Temporal Information Space

bunny still 1
bunny still 2
bunny still 3
bunny still 4

In this scenario, users can explore videos by moving the magic lens up and down. In this way, they can easily perform basic operations such as going forward/ backward in time in slow or fast motion.

Master and Diploma Theses within this Project

  • Normen Czepa
    Magic Windows: Advanced Interaction Techniques for Magic LensesDiploma Thesis

    Normen Czepa

    since 10th August 2010

     

  • Michel Hauschild
    Tangible User Interface PalettesDiploma Thesis

    Michel Hauschild

    9th November 2009 - 17th August 2010

     

  • Jens Henneberg
    Magic Lenses in Virtual RealitiesDiploma Thesis

    Jens Henneberg

    5th August 2009 - 8th April 2010

     

Press Coverage

Related publications

  • Vorschaubild

    Spindler, M., Martsch, M., Dachselt, R.:

    Going Beyond the Surface: Studying Multi-Layer Interaction Above the Tabletop

    In Proceedings of the Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2012) Austin, TX, USA, May 5-10, 2012.

    Downloads: Full paper (1430KB), Video (19953KB)

  • Vorschaubild

    Spindler, M., Hauschild, M., Dachselt, R.:

    Towards Making Graphical User Interfaces Tangible

    Proceedings of the ACM International Conference on Interactive Tabletops and Surfaces (ITS 2010) Saarbrücken, Germany, November 7-10, 2010, ISBN: 978-1-4503-0399-6, pp. 291-292 .

    Downloads: Poster Paper (154KB), Poster (2324KB)

  • Vorschaubild

    Spindler, M., Dachselt, R.:

    Exploring Information Spaces by Using Tangible Magic Lenses in a Tabletop Environment

    CHI '10 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems Proceedings of the 28th international Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems (Atlanta, GA, USA, April 10-15, 2010).

    CHI 2010, ACM, New York, NY, pp. 4771-4776.

    Downloads: Media Showcase Paper (919KB), Video (29803KB)

  • Vorschaubild

    Spindler, M., Stellmach, S., Dachselt, R.:

    PaperLens: Advanced Magic Lens Interaction Above the Tabletop

    Proceedings of the ACM International Conference on Interactive Tabletops and Surfaces (ITS 2009) Banff, Canada, November 23-25, 2009.

    ITS 2009, ACM, ISBN 978-1-60558-733-2, pp. 77-84.

    Downloads: Full paper (1190KB), Talk (1194KB), Video (14553KB)

  • Vorschaubild

    Spindler, M., Dachselt, R.:

    Towards Pen-based Annotation Techniques for Tangible Magic Lenses Above a Tabletop

    Accompanying DVD of the ACM International Conference on Interactive Tabletops and Surfaces (ITS 2009) Banff, Canada, November 23-25, 2009.

    Downloads: Short Paper (2406KB), Poster (3873KB)

  • Vorschaubild

    Spindler, M., Dachselt, R.:

    Advanced Magic Lens Interaction Above the Tabletop - TechDemo

    Conference on Interactive Tabletops and Surfaces (ITS 2009) Banff, Canada, November 23-25, 2009.

    Downloads: Video (36515KB)

  • Vorschaubild

    Spindler, M., Sieber, J., Dachselt, R.:

    Using Spatially Aware Tangible Displays for Exploring Virtual Spaces

    Proceedings of Mensch und Computer 2009 (Oldenbourg Publishing, Munich, ISBN: 978-3-486-59222-1).

    Mensch und Computer 2009, Berlin, Germany, September 6-9, 2009, pp. 253-262.

    Downloads: Full paper (160KB)