著者

ISHII Hiroshi

出版者

一般社団法人電子情報通信学会

雑誌

IEICE transactions on information and systems (ISSN:09168532)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.87, no.6, pp.1299-1311, 2004-06-01

被引用文献数

2

---

This paper first discusses the misinterpretation of the concept of "ubiquitous computing" that Mark Weiser originally proposed in 1991. Weiser's main message was not the ubiquity of computers, but the transparency of interface that determines users' perception of digital technologies embedded in our physical environment seamlessly. To explore Weiser's philosophy of transparency in interfaces, this paper presents the design of an interface that uses glass bottles as "containers" and "controls" for digital information. The metaphor is a perfume bottle: Instead of scent, the bottles have been filled with music - classical, jazz, and techno music. Opening each bottle releases the sound of a specific instrument accompanied by dynamic colored light. Physical manipulation of the bottles - opening and closing - is the primary mode of interaction for controlling their musical contents. The bottles illustrates Mark Weiser's vision of the transparent (or invisible) interface that weaves itself into the fabric of everyday life. The bottles also exploits the emotional aspects of glass bottles that are tangible and visual, and evoke the smell of perfume and the taste of exotic beverages. This paper describes the design goals of the bottle interface, the arrangement of musical content, the implementation of the wireless electromagnetic tag technology, and the feedback from users who have played with the system.