EIT week45-1 Physical Displays

Physical Displays Overview

Course Information

• Course: Engineering Interactive Technologies
• Professor: Michael Wessely
• Institution: Interactive Matter Lab

Introduction to Physical Displays

• Definition: Physical displays go beyond traditional screens to include any object around us as a potential display medium.
• Conceptual Foundation: Derived from ubiquitous computing, which envisions every object as interactive, capable of displaying information or responding to user input.

Historical and Modern Examples

• Stroboscopic Effect (1960s): Uses intense light flashes on rotating objects to make them appear stationary or slow-motion, revealing details not visible in real time.
• Foldable Interactive Displays (2008): Early developments in flexible screen technology that could be manipulated physically by users.
• Phyxel (2016) and MistForm (2017): Innovations that integrate physical forms with digital outputs to create tangible user interfaces.

Projection-Based Physical Displays

• Technologies: Include depth cameras and projectors to turn any surface into a touch-sensitive display.
• Examples:
  • Omnitouch (2011): Utilizes projection and touch technology on any surface.
  • MoSART (2018): Advances in mobile spatially-aware projection technology.
• Advantages: Flexibility in turning various surfaces into interactive displays.
• Limit: Typically require controlled lighting conditions and can be complex to set up.

Non-Projection Based Technologies

• Types: Electrochromic, thermochromic, and photochromic materials that change properties in response to external stimuli without needing projections.
• Innovative Materials:
  • Polymer-Dispersed Liquid Crystal Sheets: Used in transparency-controlled interfaces.
  • Programmable Droplets and SnOil (2009): Examples of surfaces manipulated electronically to display information or create interactive experiences.

Passive Displays

• Emerging Area in HCI: Research continues into passive displays that do not rely on electronic activation to display content.
• Historical and Novel Techniques:
  • Lenticular Printing: Creates images with an illusion of depth or the ability to change or move as the image is viewed from different angles.
  • Tabula Scalata (1600s): Early examples of lenticular effects used in static displays.
  • Polagons (2021): Utilize layers of cellophane to create interactive, color-changing surfaces under polarized light.

Future Directions

• Ubiquitous Computing: As computing becomes more integrated into everyday objects, the distinction between what is and is not a display may further dissolve, leading to more innovative ways to interact with our environments.

Conclusion

Physical displays represent a dynamic field within HCI, pushing the boundaries of how information is visually represented and interacted with. From historical techniques to cutting-edge materials science, the evolution of physical displays continues to integrate deeper into the fabric of daily life, providing new ways to visualize data and control devices.