Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
It should be noted that all of the users surrounding the table will experience
the same sounds whatever their position. This helps the users work collab-
oratively toward a common goal. A stick-type input device is provided. The
system tracks the motion of the device (i.e., user's gesture) in a 3-D space over
Sound Table, and then projects computer-generated graphical images onto
a surface of Sound Table. Users can interact lively with the system through
both visual and auditory channels. Application of the system to collaborative
computer music creation is also presented.
8.2 Related Work
Context-aware auditory techniques have been successfully applied to
museum guides [3,6,7], tourist and pedestrian navigation [5,11,12], and games
[13,14] thanks to great advances in mobile and sensing technologies such as
the PDA, portable music player, and GPS systems. Location is considered a
key context in these systems.
The gpsTunes [5] is a gadget-type handheld computer that guides a user
to a desired target by varying the volume and balance of the music played.
The user knows the distance to the target by the volume of the music and
attempts to move toward the sound source keeping the music in front.
Jones and Jones [11] propose a similar navigation-by-music approach to
gpsTunes. Another interesting function is a “look around” cue that pans the
music quickly several times to the left and right headphone. This is a prompt
for the user to glance in both directions and notice an object of interest such
as an interesting building, café, or visitor attraction.
The ec(h)o [7] is an auditory museum guide system. The movement of
a visitor triggers an ambient soundscape that is made of sounds related
to artifacts near the visitor. The visitor enjoys navigating the exhibit
through ambient sounds that are dynamically created. The system also
provides a box-type, tangible user interface, called ec(h)o cube. This
device works within a specified zone in close proximity (around a meter
or just over three feet) to an artifacts display. The visitor can make a selec-
tion by holding the cube in front of him or her and rotating it to the left
or right, resulting in the generation of an audio message associated with
the action.
Meanwhile, sound feedback is quite important in collaborative work envi-
ronments where users work in parallel toward a shared goal. A simple sys-
tem configuration (i.e., a pair of stereo speakers), however, causes difficulty
in identifying to whom each of the sounds belongs.
Hancock et al. [8] present experiments on the use of nonspeech audio at
an interactive multiuser tabletop display under two different setups: (1)
