Augmented Environments Lab

Position Paper: Introduction Excerpt

Our research seeks to design an office that better supports knowledge workers-business professionals who interpret and transform information. Successful knowledge workers manage multiple tasks, collaborate effectively among several col-leagues and clients, and manipulate information that is most relevant to their current task by leveraging the spatial organization of their work area. The diversity of these work practices and the complexity of implementing flexible computing tools make it difficult to meet all the workers’ needs.

Reference

Voida, Stephen; Mynatt, Elizabeth D. and MacIntyre, Blair. “Supporting Collaboration in a Context-Aware Office Computing Environment.” A position paper for the workshop on Collaboration with Interactive Walls and tables at the 4th International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing (UbiComp 2002). Gothenburg, Sweden

Abstract

The Kimura system augments and integrates independent tools into a pervasive computing system that monitors a users interactions with the computer, an electronic whiteboard, and a variety of networked peripheral devices and data sources.

Reference

Voida, Stephen; Mynatt, Elizabeth D.; MacIntyre, Blair and Corso, Gregory M. “Integrating Virtual and Physical Context to Support Knowledge Workers.” In IEEE Pervasive Computing, 1(3):73-79, July-September 2002

Abstract

In this paper, we describe Kimura, an augmented office environment to support common multitasking practices. Previous systems, such as Rooms, limit users by constraining the interaction to the desktop monitor. In Kimura, we leverage interactive projected peripheral displays to support the perusal, manipulation and awareness of background activities. Furthermore, each activity is represented by a montage comprised of images from current and past interaction on the desktop. These montages help remind the user of past actions, and serve as a springboard for ambient context-aware reminders and notifications.

Reference

MacIntyre, Blair; Mynatt, Elizabeth D.; Voida, Stephen; Hansen, Klaus Marius; Tullio, Joe and Corso, Gregory M., “Support For Multitasking and Background Awareness Using Interactive Peripheral Displays.” In Proceedings of ACM UIST ‘01 Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (Orlando, Florida, USA, November 11-14), ACM Press, 41-50