The Cubtile: 3D Multitouch Brings Virtual Worlds Into the User's Hands

This demonstration combines the cubtile, a new 3D multitouch device that expands tactile input from surface-only interaction to full-volume manipulation, with an augmented-reality-like setup that blends interaction and visualization spaces to put 3D objects between the user's hands. 

While multitouch technology offers many advantages, it is mostly restricted to 2D interaction. On the other hand, interaction with 3D environments is still an active research area looking for more effective input devices and techniques. The cubtile consists of five multitouch surfaces assembled into a fixed-position cube (the cube sits on the sixth side). Its cubic shape materializes the axis of the 3D world, which appears enclosed within the device and allows users to map classical multitouch gestures in the 3D space. 

The project's main innovation is in the augmented-reality-like setup into which the cubtile is integrated. Unlike typical uses, where the cubtile stands in front of a display, it is now integrated into a solution that displays the object through a mirror, which reflects the back of the cubtile and the 3D object directly into it, so the manipulated 3D object appears through this hidden side of the cubtile, right between the reflection of the user's hands. 

Because the cubtile can map classical multitouch gestures and combinations of them to 3D transformations, users see their reflected hands around the 3D object and the virtual model following their finger motions. They can also perform a special gesture (fast upward translation on both lateral sides) that moves the 3D object out of the cubtile, just above the reflection, and provides more room to manipulate the model. 

This experience fulfills the requirements of the primary targeted users in museums and the cultural heritage domain, who want to offer their visitors interactive, "hands-on" visualizations of their protected objects. The demonstration's main 3D object is an ancient Egyptian statuette, complemented with other cultural heritage objects and architecture samples. It combines interaction and visualization techniques for a better understanding of 3D worlds. 

Jean-Baptiste de la Rivière
Emmanuel Orvain
Cédric Kervégant
Nicolas Dittlo 
Immersion SAS