Multi-Touch Interface Research

Today we released the new Struktable which is ready for order on struktable.com. It features a completely redesigned and improved aluminium casing, even more robust tracking and easier setup and transport. See the product video on struktable.com.

We made a complete renewal of the Struktable hardware, which had its first public appearance at the RWE Campus Tour throughout Germany.

The new Struktable is made out of aluminium, has no visible openings and the top layer with the infrared LEDs and the safety glass has been improved a lot. We also invented a new sandwich technology for producing the glass and projection layers. Now the Struktable suitable for a permanent public installation.

For the tour we also developed a new set of applications: a DJ/VJ app with virtual turntables and the possibility to create sound-reactive visuals and control the light setup of the whole room at the same time, a Pecha-Kucha app for presenting slides, and a custom version of the Dangerzone game.

More photos and a description of the new multitouch applications can be found on the Strukt website.

Schlossmuseum Linz / Multitouch Installation from Gregor Hofbauer on Vimeo.

The new and modern add-on to the Schlossmuseum Linz, Upper Austria, is home to a permanent installation of our Struktable. The 70″ multitouch-capable back-projection screen features interactive multi-user games educating the visitors about solar-power, railways, raodways, water and tourism in Upper Austria.

The first game Strukt produced is called “Solar Land”. The visitors can place solar panels on a map of Upper Austria, guessing where they would be most efficient according to the altitude of the sun in the area. After all items are placed, the participants can start a simulation of the insolation over the duration of an entire year. The game shows how much energy is produced during that period of time, and the top simulations are listed in a high-score. The results encourage people to discuss their decissions and to play the game once more, using the knowledge they gained to reach a better score.

More pictures and information on the Strukt website

Credits:

Client: Oberösterreichische Landesregierung
Project Manager: Tanja Tomic
Software Superviser: Thomas Hitthaler
Programmer: Chris Plant
Interface Design: Michael Seiser
Project Assistance: Sasa Blazevic
Programming Assistance: Barbara Saga

Exhibition Concept: Manuel Schilcher (ARGE Marie)
Exhibition Design: Richard Steger (ARGE Marie)
Exhibition Manager: Mag. Ute Streitt
Content Provider: Abteilung Umweltschutz des Landes Oberösterreich, Digitales OÖ Raum-Informations-System, www.doris.at Hofrat Mag. Thomas Ebert

We’ve developed a new kind of media browser called the Mediatree application, that allows users to browse through large amounts of multimedia content. It has been in public use at the Vienna Mediafair (Medienmesse Wien) to present the portfolio of three companies at once.

Furthermore we have a new tracking framework that allows object manipulation directly in the tracking software. We are continuing our cooperation with the Technical Unviersity of Vienna.

The programming of the application is done in vvvv. All the content can be defined with XML and the software is capable of playing video and slideshows, while maintaining usability for all users. For the navigation we chose a hierarchical tree visualisation. The design of the buttons and the slides has been done by our partner ZONE Media GmbH.

Mediatree Multitouch Software from Gregor Hofbauer on Vimeo.

When the City of Vienna approached Strukt with the task to present three individual partners at the Mediafair Vienna (Medienmesse Wien) with an interactive surface, the Struktable was the perfect solution for the task. Planning and programming a tree-based media application that is scaleable in its size and content provided an attractive and interactive experience for the visitors. Each tree held information about the individual partners. Open content and navigation items were making space for newly opened content, so as requested by the client no information got covered. This, and the reduction of interaction gestures to simplify the use, made it possible for multiple users to gather information from texts, images and up to 5 videos at the same time.

More info and pictures:
http://strukt.com/2009/mediafair/

Credits:
Client: City of Vienna / wien.at / ZiT / blizznet
Technical Director: Thomas Hitthaler
Project Manager: Gregor Hofbauer
Programmer: Chris Plant, Ferdinand Pilz, Robi Hammerle

Additional Credits:
Content Production: ZONE Media GmbH

More info can be found on the Strukt project site.

Photo by Gregor Hofbauer.

The Struktable is part of an exhibition in the designforum Vienna. Last Wednesday the show “Krieg der Zeichen – Spurenlesen im urbanen Raum” (“War of Signs”) opened in the bustling surroundings of the Museumsquartier. The exhibition shows the power of signs in public space. Markus Hanzer, the curator of the show, collected countless examples of public signages, billboards, markers, plaques, labels, stickers, street art and graffiti.

In the center of the exhibition, the Struktable shows these signs and makes them interactive. They can be put on either side – GOOD or EVIL – and a statistic follows the trend and logs how this sign is interpreted by visitors over the whole duration of the exhibition.

The exhibition is open Wednesday to Friday from 10 am to 6 pm and on Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm. Until August 30th! Check it out!

Photos by Gregor Hofbauer.

Barbara Wimmer from the Austrian tech-blog Futurezone visited us last week and was interested in the Struktable. In today’s article she describes her impressions and gives some background infos, including an interview with Thomas, our technical director responsible for the programming of the multi-touch applications. As mentioned in the article, the Struktable will be featured in the designforum in the MQ Vienna as part of the exhibition “Krieg der Zeichen” (“Signs at war”) starting on May 20th.

Link to the article (german only)

It’s been quite a while ago that this feature about our Struktable appeared on Engadget, but only now I find time to document it. They think our table is “pretty impressive” and “works remarkably well”.

Our product has also been featured on fubiz, where and dvice (“Struktable: A Microsoft Surface table for the art world”) as well as on a number of blogs. We appreciate the great response!

With the help of the Technical University Vienna we improved the tracking software to work with our new table and surface. It is working fast and reliable in controlled light settings. We and the university have some ideas to improve it and will do more research in this area.

As announced, we produced a proper case for our first multi-touch prototype, which we developed for the Vienna-based company ZONE. It integrates all our research results from the last months. As described, the table uses FTIR technology, but now we managed to still have a non-scratchable and easy to clean surface, which is also sexy to touch. It works best in dark light conditions inside buildings, because we decided to work without a silicone layer. The case is robust and can be transported easily. It is made of MDF wood, has 2 maintainence notches and as a little extra we added a stainless steel frame on top. The size of the display increased a little, and is 150 cm by 95 cm now. With a very convenient height of 85 cm, it is suited for 6 persons to work simultaneously around the table.

See for yourself:



Demo videos and photos of the table in action can be expected soon.

Finally, we’ve decided to invest into a Stantum SMK 15.4, a multi-touch screen that will make it easier for us to develop, test and present applications for our table. We can use the same vvvv multitouch objects on the table and on the screen. Funnily enough, they also share the same resolution, 1280×800.

After some tweaking and one night of C# and C++ magic by Richard Radlherr, we have developed an interface to vvvv via OSC. The Stantum screen has almost no delay, and reacts to very slight touches well. Unlike the iPhone, it also reacts to pressure only (not only fingers), so you can also use pens and finger nails. The number of touches is not limited, as far as we know until know. The only downturns are the small size (15,4″ – bigger screens should be available soon) and that the screen is not as bright as it could be.

Here is a video of us having a great time unpacking and testing the screen:

Multi-Touch – Unpacking the Stantum SMK from Andreas Koller (Strukt) on Vimeo.It’s also available on Youtube.

We’ve already put it into use for a visual tool developed for a client (more info on this project soon). We will also collect more video footage of our multitouch tools, which are being developed by David Dessens aka Sanch, and share it with you.

Regarding the table we also have good news, as the prototype is being built right now and can be expected in 3 to 4 weeks.