AudioClouds: Three dimensional audio and Gestural interfaces for mobile and wearable computers

Principal researcher

Project details

Start date: 01/10/2002
End date: 28/02/2006

Description: Mobile computing devices are extremely popular. Mobile telephones, Personal Digital Assistants and handheld computers are currently one of the fastest growth areas of computing and this growth will extend into more sophisticated, fully wearable computers in the near future. One problem with these devices is their limited input and output capabilities. Limited screen space for information display means small screens can easily become cluttered with information. Input is also limited, with small keyboards or handwriting recognition the norm. These are slow and hard to use when mobile. Current interaction techniques therefore limit mobile devices because walking or running, driving or navigating all require a large amount of visual attention and adding to this with a complex graphical display can cause problems. The innovative aspect of this proposal is to explore a new paradigm for interacting with mobile computers, based on novel techniques using 3D sound and gestures, to create interfaces that are powerful, usable and natural. The gesture modelling itself will be an innovative combination of dynamic systems models and nonparametric statistical models. We will develop a wearable computer that uses 3D sound for output and head, hand and device gestures for input. This will allow us to investigate new presentation methods and interaction techniques to allow richer and more complex, tightly coupled interactions with mobile devices and mobile services, opening up the possibilities for using mobiles in a range of new and more powerful ways.

Other organisations involved in this project

Hamilton Institute

Funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

Last updated: 07/04/2008