January 26th, 2010
The Soap Bubble Interface is an ephemeral user interface that uses liquids, smoke and soap bubbles for computer input. Users can generate normal as well as smoke-filled bubbles which drop onto a dark liquid surface. As the bubbles are tracked by a camera from below, the position of the floating soap bubbles can be used to control digital output like graphics, ambient light, or sound. The fragile soap bubbles can be moved either by blowing or touching them cautiously and thus create a special interaction quality which includes that they elude the complete control of users, as the bubbles inevitably burst after a short while. Thus, the soap bubble interface provokes thoughts about durability, control, and materiality of tangible user interfaces.
More pictures and videos are coming soon. If you need hi-res pictures please send an email.
Tags: Soap Bubble Display, Soap Bubble Interface
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January 25th, 2010
We presented the Soap Bubble Interface at the fourth international Conference on Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction (TEI’10) hosted at the MIT Media Lab in Cambridge, USA , January 24th to 27th. It was mentioned in an article about the conference in the Technology Review Blog (You can also find a short video there). Tanja also gave an Video-Interview to Kerime B. Toksü which you can watch on her 2literal.com blog.
Here are some pictures:
Tags: #teiconf, fog filled bubble, rauch gefüllte Seifenblase, Seifenblasen, smoke filled bubble, Soap Bubble Interface, tei2010
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January 24th, 2010
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January 24th, 2010
Paper Abstract
In this paper we inquire material qualities for tangible user interfaces and introduce the term “ephemeral user interface”. We present an example user interface that employs fragile soap bubbles for human-computer interaction: the user has to move or blow bubbles over a dark liquid surface in order to interact with a computer system. Our installation uses liquid, smoke, and soap bubbles as unusual and transient materials, which demand a very cautious and calm handling, and furthermore elude the complete control of users, as the bubbles inevitably burst after a short while. Thus, the soap bubble interface provokes thoughts about durability, control, and materiality of tangible user interfaces.
pdf version of the Paper
Authors:
Tanja Döring,
Albrecht Schmidt
Pervasive Computing
University of Duisburg-Essen
45117 Essen, Germany
Axel Sylvester
AGIS
University of Hamburg
22527 Hamburg, Germany
Tags: Albrecht Schmidt, Axel Sylvester, Boston, Ephemeral user interfaces, interactive art installation. Soapbubble-Interface, materiality, soap bubble, Soap Bubble Interface, soap bubbles, Soapbubble Interface, Soapbubble Machine, Soapbubblemachine, tangible user interfaces, Tanja Doering, Tanja Döring, TEI, TEI10
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