Mobile and Pervasive Computing: The Future for Design Collaboration - Mobile and Pervasive Computing in Construction - page 173

paradigm, more natural and perceptual interfaces, such as speech, gestures and
physicality-related interfaces, have been recently developed to manipulate elec-
tronic artifacts (Abowd and Mynatt, 2000). Fitzmaurice (1996) provided the
concept of graspable interfaces and Ishii and Ulmer (1997) introduced the term
tangible user interfaces (TUIs) to suggest techniques for using objects in the
physical world to control digital information.
Advances in computer networking and groupware for communication reduced
the reliance on geography, thus enabling design collaboration among distributed
designers synchronously or asynchronously. The World Wide Web (WWW) has
allowed remote web-based design systems where CAD software is integrated with
collaborative design tools and is available on servers to support a large group of
designers' communication over the network. Wireless networks increasingly have
enabled multiple devices to communicate, thus computers are used as part of an
integrated, multimachine, multiperson environment for supporting collaboration
with other people (Myers et al ., 2000). The proliferation of high bandwidth
communications technology has enabled the development of networked 3D virtual
reality (VR) environments for design, where designers can meet each other and
generate 3D models interactively. As an alternative approach, augmented reality
(AR) provides new variations on the visualization of design, since it enables
seamless interactions between the digital and physical worlds.
According to the collaborative design framework, the affordances of early
collaborative design technologies can be classified into the following three
categories:
(1) Representation: Digital media for design representation is the basis by which
each participant develops, annotates and shares design representations rang-
ing from images, to 2D drawings, to 3D models. The purpose of these
technologies is to enable the sharing and visualization of the design repre-
sentation among the participants. The early approaches include CAD systems
with versions and shared files that would allow designers to work on the same
project with access to the latest data. More recent approaches include 3D
walk-through models and movies, databases, and 3D virtual worlds.
(2) Communication: Groupware technologies enable designers to construct a
shared understanding and to communicate with other participants synchro-
nously and asynchronously. The purpose of these technologies is to enable the
coordination of design information and tasks. The earliest technology for
communication is email and email is still the most widely used communi-
cation technology. Groupware technologies such as web-based meeting
rooms, video conference technologies, and intranet portals provide more
comprehensive communication and collaboration environments.
(3) HCI: human-computer interaction (HCI) technologies provide the basis by
which each designer manipulates and interacts with the shared representation
and communication content. The early collaboration technologies use the
traditional keyboard and mouse technology, and this is still the most
commonly used technology. More recent approaches include touch screens,
tabletop systems, AR or augmented reality, and head mounted displays.