The ARTable: An AR-based tangible user interface system

Abstract

Augmented Reality (AR) and Tangible User Interface (TUI) have been proven to provide intuition to human computer interface with richness of a tactile sense. Recent implementations in that field, however, have inherited a 2D Graphical User Interface (GUI) scheme and work as isolated systems. Consequently, the systems are limited in supporting intuitive interfaces and various applications. This paper presents an AR-based tangible interaction system for table-top interaction environments. A projector displays information or graphical images on the table through back-projection. Two cameras on and under the table track the tangible objects which are attached with ARToolKit markers and that are used as interaction tools. Furthermore, a Augmentation Display beside the table shows graphical objects combined with the real table. The system shares the object tracking information of the object as context through the vr-UCAM [8]. Moreover, we also present a scheme of tracking smoothing based on a tracking prediction using Kalman Filter. As an application, the ARTable is integrated with Responsive Multimedia System (RMS), a storytelling system [3][4]. The proposed system is applicable to a wide range of usages such as virtual reality and augmented reality applications. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2006.