Ethan Kennerly

a. estimate TOTAL cost of implementation
b. try at least one setup because video demos are great, but DIY is best.
c. my opinion of wii precision is soso. it will be ok for basic things, but don't expect too much. or maybe my standards are too high compared to a high-end tracking system.
d. i have trouble writing without a surface. writing is a tactile experience. tabletpc is the closest that i can come to air.
e. we tried many air-write, air-model and air-draw mechanisms at EVL and even with a $30k tracker in the end you feel a disconnect. it was great for being goofy and for moving stuff around, but translating 2d behaviors into 3d space...we're still scratching the surface...the sketchup people kinda get it, but don't expect to replace many real-world behaviors like the enjoyment of dry-erase markers, pens and pencils. humans like leaving their mark with sharp objects.

Looks like fun, and possibly unique in a multi-screen environment like the ZML - let's try it.

That being said, creating with the hands is typically aided by tools which restrict degrees of freedom. A drafting table knocks out two (i.e. limits the hands to a plane), while a ruler restricts yet one more DOF - thus allowing the drawing of a line. Toward that end, this paper describes an exploration of handheld devices that could be manipulated to create and modify on-screen geometry. This paper on two-handed manipulation has a good list of papers on the topic of free-hand manipulation of virtual graphics. Note, it - and most of its citations - can be downloaded for free if you are logged onto a USC computer (or via the VPN).

Looks like fun, and possibly unique in a multi-screen environment like the ZML - let's try it.

That being said, creating with the hands is typically aided by tools which restrict degrees of freedom. A drafting table knocks out two (i.e. limits the hands to a plane), while a ruler restricts yet one more DOF - thus allowing the drawing of a line. Toward that end, this paper describes an exploration of handheld devices that could be manipulated to create and modify on-screen geometry. This paper on two-handed manipulation has a good list of papers on the topic of free-hand manipulation of virtual graphics. It - and most of its citations - can be downloaded for free if you are logged onto a USC computer (or via the VPN).

Mark, those papers helped a lot! Seeing the results of those experiments helped me review the scope and likely utility of the above ideas for devices.

Marientina, those practical considerations are important. There's still a gap in my imagination as to the binding of the input device to the software application. The software UI signal binding still in the category of "then a miracles occurs" and then it works.

I see what both of you mean that less degrees of freedom can aid precision in a precise control mapping and compensate for an imperfect mapping. When modeling in SketchUp, I prefer to lock the axes of translation or rotation, as I can plan and evaluate how the source is approaching the destination. Maybe what you, Marientina, and Perry have said should be a part of the design: a constraint to the degree of freedom (somewhat approached by the whiteboard).

Since a keyboard blends expressiveness and binary nature, I've also wondered about purely keyboard interfaces for media manipulation. So it's an open question whether these more intuitive inputs would aid a designer or a presentor.

By the way, the affordances of the devices illustrated in "Interaction Devices for Hands-On Desktop Design" reminded me of the sports accessories for Wii. I can imagine the importance of accentuating physical affordances on the handheld input device to indicate what behavior is likely to be executed in the virtual environment. Also to molding to the ergonomics of a human arm during the given task, as mentioned in the paper, contributes to user performance.

sports attachments

surgery tools for wii

knife for wii