Seminar Type: Invited Speakers
Title: Natural User Interfaces for Collaborative Environments
Start Time: 11/26/2009 - 14:00
End Time: 11/26/2009 - 15:00
Location: ICT 516
Speaker: Michael Haller
Abstract:
Until recently, the limitations of display and interface technologies have restricted the potential for human interaction and collaboration with computers. For example, desktop computer style interfaces have not translated well to mobile devices and static display technologies tend to leave the user one step removed from interacting with content. However, the emergence of interactive whiteboards has pointed to new possibilities for using display technology for interaction and collaboration. A range of emerging technologies and applications could enable more natural and human centered interfaces so that interacting with computers and content becomes more intuitive. This will be important as computing moves from the desktop to be embedded in objects, devices and locations around us and as our “desktop” and data are no longer device dependent but follow us across multiple platforms and locations. The impact of Apple’s iPhone and an increasing number of multi-touch surfaces, show that users' expectations about using these devices in their daily lives have increased. With the increasing development of interactive walls, interactive tables, and multi-touch devices, both companies and academics are evaluating their potential for wider use. These newly emerging form factors require novel human–computer interaction techniques which will be discussed in this presentation.
Biography:Michael Haller is a professor at the department of Digital Media of the Upper Austria University of Applied Sciences (Hagenberg, Austria), head of the Media Interaction Lab (www.mi-lab.org), head of the Austrian Research Center NiCE, and responsible for computer graphics, human-computer interaction, and augmented reality. His core areas of expertise are visualization and interaction. He received Dipl.-Ing. (1997), Dr. techn. (2001), and Habilitation (2007) degrees from Johannes Kepler University of Linz, Austria. He is active in several research areas, including interactive computer graphics, augmented and virtual reality, and human computer interfaces. His current focus is on innovative interaction techniques and interfaces for next generation working environments. Currently, he leads a team of over 10 researchers and students. In 2004, he received the Erwin Schrödinger fellowship award presented by the Austrian Science Fund for his visit at the Human Interaction Technology Laboratory (HITLabNZ), University of Canterbury (New Zealand), and the Integrated Media Systems Center (IMSC), University of Southern California (USA). Since 2008, Haller is head of the Austrian Research Studio NiCE, designing natural user interfaces for collaborative environments.
Refreshments will be served before the talk.