Project Description

2014–2015
We introduce AtmoSPHERE, a new method for automatically imbuing a sand table--or interactive zen garden--with properties of its surrounding space and occupants. AtmoSPHERE uses a Microsoft Kinect to monitor and extract movement in a room and then visualizes representations of this movement physically via sand traces on a custom built XY servo sandbox table. We present our prototype system, the design process and interaction modes, feedback from a preliminary deployment, and a discussion of future work.

We were quite excited to see a commercialization of this idea: Bruce Shapiro's "Kinectic Art Table", which received a pledge of nearly $2m on Kickstarter. More here

Publications

AtmoSPHERE: Representing Space and Movement Using Sand Traces in an Interactive Zen Garden

Ruofei Du, Kent Wills, Max Potasznik, Jon E. Froehlich

Extended Abstract Proceedings of CHI '15 Extended Abstracts 2015