The cube

Abstract

The Cube" is a unique facility that combines 48 large multi-touch screens and very large-scale projection surfaces to form one of the world's largest interactive learning and engagement spaces. The Cube facility is part of the Queensland University of Technology's (QUT) newly established Science and Engineering Centre, designed to showcase QUT's teaching and research capabilities in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines. In this application paper we describe, the Cube, its technical capabilities, design rationale and practical day-to-day operations, supporting up to 70,000 visitors per week. Essential to the Cube's operation are five interactive applications designed and developed in tandem with the Cube's technical infrastructure. Each of the Cube's launch applications was designed and delivered by an independent team, while the overall vision of the Cube was shepherded by a small executive team. The diversity of design, implementation and integration approaches pursued by these five teams provides some insight into the challenges, and opportunities, presented when working with large distributed interaction technologies. We describe each of these applications in order to discuss the different challenges and user needs they address, which types of interactions they support and how they utilise the capabilities of the Cube facility.

Creating Your Bubble

“…However, these behaviours have largely been observed in private or semi-private settings such as offices or laboratories, and often around a shared tabletop [26]. To address this lack of field research, a number of researchers have deployed LPDs in public [3,5,20,22,30]. This research has explored how to design for multi-user interaction for indoor installations [22], how pedestrian traffic is shaped by the introduction of LPDs to public spaces [30], how displays should respond to approaching users [15], and how on-screen content can be used to manipulate the position of users in-front of the display [3].…”

“…To address this lack of field research, a number of researchers have deployed LPDs in public [3,5,20,22,30]. This research has explored how to design for multi-user interaction for indoor installations [22], how pedestrian traffic is shaped by the introduction of LPDs to public spaces [30], how displays should respond to approaching users [15], and how on-screen content can be used to manipulate the position of users in-front of the display [3]. However, little research Notably, Peltonen et al [20] observed interaction with CityWall, a photo-browsing application installed in a shop window over an eight day period, and through a mixed-methods analysis describe aspects of interaction such as turn-taking, expressive on-screen gestures, and concluding actions.…”

“…However, LPDs that extend to 'public' space (i.e. > 8m) are now feasible [22], and it is unclear how user interfaces should evolve to fill the needs of users working on such a large, shared surface. Our research complements research that has explored pedestrian traffic around LPDs [30], how to respond to approaching users [15], and how to manipulate the position of users in-front of the display [3].…”

“…Recent work has developed descriptive theories such as proxemics [2,6] territoriality [25] to facilitate the use of individuals' positions to detect social relationships between nearby users, often leveraging low-cost and easily deployed sensors such as Microsoft's Kinect™. While the importance of these factors have been motivated by many studies in the field [3,5,20,22,30], guidance for how these relationships should translate into practical design considerations is still lacking. That is, how do one's surroundings and task influence their 'personal bubble' when approaching a public display?…”