moving pictures that most convincingly demonstrated the power of motion as a communication medium. Since then, the use of motion as a communication medium has been mostly limited to the rectangular screens of movie theaters, TVs, or computer displays. Several research directions have attempted to take moving images from the screen into the real world, such as Augmented Reality (AR) and ubiquitous computing. However, the underlying paradigm has hardly changed: the screen may change location—moving images can be projected on the table—but the objects they display to the user and their motion remain essentially virtual.

Recently, however, there has been a rapid increase in interest toward using physical kinetic motion of real objects as a communication medium. Although the

that can have any shape or form. We define Kinetic Organic Interfaces (KOIs) as organic user interfaces that employ physical kinetic motion to embody and communicate information to people. Shape-changing inherently involves some form of motion since any body transformation can be represented as motion of its parts. Thus kinetic interaction and kinetic design are key components of the OUI concept. With KOIs, the entire real world, rather then a small computer screen, becomes the design environment for future interaction designers.

There are several reasons why KOIs are exciting and different from previous interaction paradigms. Fundamentally, KOIs exist in the real world that surrounds us. Creating environments that can seamlessly mix computer-generated entities with the real world has

a

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roots of this interest stretch Figure 1. (a) Giacomo ^{back as far as the 18th cen- Balla’s Velocità e Vortice} (Speed and Rotation); (b) Laszlo tury to early work on Moholy-Nagy’s Light-Space automata, the recent emer- Modulator (replica at the Van ^{gence of new} “^smart” ^{Abbe Museum, Eindhoven,} image courtesy HC Gilje); materials, tiny motors and (c) OuterSpace. nanomanipulators, organic actuators and fast networked embedded microprocessors has created new and exciting opportunities for taking motion out of the screen and into the real world. Instead of simulating objects and their motion on screen, we attempt to dynamically reshape and reconfigure real physical objects and perhaps entire environments to communicate with the user.

Kinetic interaction design forms part of the larger framework of Organic User Interfaces (OUI) discussed in the articles in this special section: interfaces

been one of the most important research directions in recent history. For example, AR systems dynamically overlay real-time 3D computer graphics imagery on the real-world environment allowing users to see and interact with both physical and virtual objects in the same space [ 10]. Unlike in AR interfaces, however, with KOIs, all objects are real and therefore perfectly mixed with both living organisms and inanimate objects. Merging the computer interface with the real world, means it can be a significantly more intimate and organic, with the computer interface being an organic part of our environment. In addition, unlike virtual images real physical motion can communicate information on several perceptual levels, that is, real physical motion can stimulate not only visual, but also aural, tactile, and kinesthetic sensations in humans. This allows creating much richer and effective interactions than what has been previously possible. Finally,