Analysing engaging experiences with a tangible 3D tabletop

Abstract

Tangible 3D tabletops are a novel type of interface, which combines tangible tabletop interaction with 3D projection in such a way that the tangible objects can be augmented with visual content corresponding to their physical shapes, positions and orientations on the tabletop. We present a specific tangible 3D tabletop installation, Projected Play, which was developed for and deployed at LEGO World, a four-day event at which visitors immerse themselves in the world of LEGO. The use of Projected Play was documented through observations, interviews and video recordings. We propose an analytical approach to understanding the perception and use of this type of installation building upon existing research into interaction in public spaces. We apply this approach to analyse how people interacted with and experienced the installation. The focal points of the analytical approach include social, cultural and physical aspects of experience, interaction patterns and forms of engagement. Moreover, we critically discuss the potentials and limitations of both the analytical approach and the installation.

From interactive surfaces to interactive game pieces in hybrid board games

“…Indeed, sitting around a tabletop computer allows players to be closer to the digital information, and at the same time, enhances collaboration and communication among the users [44], re-creating the experience of face-to-face gaming. Although tabletops can be augmented with technology for playing games using different flavors of augmented reality, as in [5,13], or 3-D projections [20], with the advances in touchscreen technology, a number of works have used computer vision-based tabletop computers, such as the Microsoft Surface (2001), DiamondTouch (2001) [15], and Reactable (2007) [27], as platforms for digital board game development.…”

MaR-T

“…Setups similar to ours, Projection-MR with tangibles, is used for elementary school geography lessons [44], university medical education [29], architectural planning [58], and exploring volumetric data [53]. Additionally, public installations augment objects for playful interactions [26].…”

Combining Shape-Changing Interfaces and Spatial Augmented Reality Enables Extended Object Appearance

“…Tangible 3D Tabletop [16,21] combines tangible tabletop interaction with 3D projection to augment tangible objects with visual content corresponding to its physical shape, position, and orientation on the tabletop. This means that the flat tabletop surface together with the tangible objects becomes a deformable interface.…”

“…[26]). While research on shape-changing interfaces focused mostly on altering objects physically, a wide range of prior work aimed at changing the optical appearance of objects and environments, for example through spatial augmented reality (spatial AR, e. g. [7,31,21,24]) or fish tank VR (e. g. [36]). Spatial AR is defined as augmentation of real surfaces in a physically co-located way, for example through projection or displays.…”