inFORM is a Dynamic Shape Display that can render 3D content physically, so users can interact with digital information in a tangible way. inFORM can also interact with the physical world around it, for example moving objects on the table's surface. Remote participants in a video conference can be displayed physically, allowing for a strong sense of presence and the ability to interact physically at a distance. inFORM is a step toward our vision of Radical Atoms: tangible.media.mit.edu/vision/
tangible.media.mit.edu/project/inform/
The Tangible Media Group, led by Professor Hiroshi Ishii, explores the Tangible Bits vision to seamlessly couple the dual world of bits and atoms by giving physical form to digital information.
Humans have evolved a heightened ability to sense and manipulate the physical world, yet the Graphical User Interface (GUI) takes little advantage of this human capacity. A Tangible User Interface (TUI) builds upon our dexterity by embodying digital information in physical space. TUIs expand the affordances of physical objects, surfaces, and spaces so they can support direct engagement with the digital world. However, TUIs have limited ability to change the form or properties of physical objects in real time. This constraint can make the physical state of TUIs inconsistent with the underlying digital models.
