Gesture device

Jared, Ting and Duane	device designs by Alf

** patent pending

PROJECT LEADER
DUANE VARAN, Murdoch University

DESCRIPTION
Among the many new opportunities that digital technologies are enabling, are an increased capacity for viewers to interact not only with program content, but with an increasingly wide array of other digital appliance. These include game stations, personal video recorders (PVR’s), computers, personal digital assistants (PDA’s), and mobile phones. Clearly the demands on television will continue to expand as further innovations in the digital frontier relentlessly advance. Engaging with this new television landscape becomes almost overwhelming for many viewers.

AIMS
This project will develop and explore a range of approaches to facilitating more engaging interaction between viewers and digital content. During the first stage, exhibition prototypes of a range of interface devices, including the gestural ring under development at the University of Queensland, will be built, evaluated and integrated with new navigation interfaces and interactive content formats. This will be facilitated across four parallel streams of activity, focusing on the different aspects of the necessary holistic solution including interface devices, navigation interfaces, content formats and evaluation.

FUNDING
Australasian CRC in Interaction Design $120K

STATUS
We have recently (Oct 2004) completed the testing of the initial prototype.
see a demo here

MY ROLE
I am responsible for the design of the interface that visually connects the gesture device to the moving image content. We have been working towards an interface with minimal visual feedback... instead relying on feedback from the device to indicate the success of the gestures. I am also responsible for the technical integration of all of the systems involved. (device output - system response - visual feedback).

COLLABORATORS
All University Collaborators (research leaders) offer up to 20% of their time 'in-kind"...

Project Leader: Duane Varan: Muroch University
Research Leader: Andrew Turk: Muroch University
Research Leader: Margot Bereton: University of Queensland
Research Assistant: Jared Donovan: University of Queensland
Research Leader: Sam Bucolo: Queensland University of Technology
Research Assistant: Alf Fjelland: Queensland University of Technology
Research Leader: Myself
Research Assistant: Marcos Caceres: Queensland University of Technology

The details of this project are currently protected under commercial in confidence.
This is a project funded by the Australasian CRC for Interaction Design (ACID)