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

PaperLens

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.

Press Coverage

Related publications

  • 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)