In recent years there has been a rapid growth in the number of smart interconnected devices controlled using a companion mobile application. This growth can be seen as an opportunity for developing a more intuitive and less distracting form of a user interface. The tangible user interface with its characteristics of providing flexibility in terms of material, bodily interactions and manipulation of one’s surrounding, proves itself as a worthy and interesting domain. The purpose of this project is to explore the simplicity that tangibles provide with respect to controlling your environment.
Blocki is a tangible, unobtrusive interface that provides its user with a playful way to interact with IoT focusing on embeddedness in real spaces and contexts. It uses computer vision algorithms to detect the icons and does not involve any electronics. Blocki uses coloured physical icons of various shapes representing the IoT device and its functionalities. The icons position and arrangement in space is sensed by a web camera and in turn is used for controlling IoT.
The idea of Blocki as an interface is to provide an easy and intuitive alternative for the usual screen-based interfaces for all age groups. Other than the physical icons used, Blocki can be reconfigured to sense any objects around you and control IoT with it.
