topic. Jun Rekimoto will share his thoughts on new directions in skin-based inputs— interaction techniques that are not only multi-touch, but that potentially follow any shape or form. A sidebar by Carsten Schwesig argues the finer points of the use of analog rather than discrete inputs for optimal organic interaction design.

 

2. Function Equals Form: Where the display can take on any shape. Today’s planar, rectangular displays, such as LCD panels, will eventually become secondary when any object, from a credit card to a building, no matter how large, complex, dynamic or flexible will be wrapped with high resolution, full-color, interactive graphics. Several pioneering projects are already exploring this future, such as the D20 concept that proposed an interface for an icosohedral display [ 5] (see Figure 2). One important observation that emerges from such experimentation is that the form of the display equals its function. In other words, designers should tightly coordinate the physical shape of the display with the functionality that its graphics afford. Three contributions in this section address this topic of research. David Holman and Roel Vertegaal further elaborate on design principles of OUIs, as grounded in their experimentation with flexible computers and curved-computer interactions. In accompanying sidebars, Elise Co and Nikita Pashenkov present an overview of the new flexible display technologies that underlie OUIs, while Eli Blevis ponders the implications on sustainability of the potential widespread use of these technologies in product design.

 

3. Form Follows Flow: Where displays can change their shape. In the foreseeable future, the physical shape of computing devices will no longer necessarily be static. On the one hand, we will be able to bend, twist, pull, and tear apart digital devices just like a piece of

Figure 1. Raedius rollable cell phone prototype by Polymer Vision [ 4].

Figure 2. D20 is a concept of
multifaceted handheld display
device, shaped as a regular
icosahedron. The user interacts
with it by rotating it and touching
its faces [ 5]. The visual interface
is structured to take advantage
of the device shape.

 

paper or plastic. We will be able to fold displays like origami, allowing the construction of complex 3D structures with continuous display surfaces. On the other hand, augmented with new actuating devices and materials, future computing devices will be able to actively alter their shape. Form will be able to follow the flow of user interactions when the display, or entire device, is able to dynamically reconfigure, move, or transform itself to reflect data in physical shapes. The 3D physical shape itself will be a form of display, and its kinetic motion will become an important variable in future interactions. In this sec-