HCII Makes Media Splash at CHI 2016
In the Media
Many HCIIers headed to San Jose last week for the Association for Computing Machinery's Conference on Human Factors in Computing (CHI 2016), where they presented research on everything from how reading on digital devices changes the way you think to a technology that uses your skin as a track pad for a smartwatch. The media was quick to take notice. Check out a sample of the coverage below.
SkinTrack
Since the advent of smartwatches, technologists have been trying to expand interactions beyond the confines of the small watch face. A new wearable technology developed by HCII researchers suggests turning the entire lower arm into a touchpad. Called SkinTrack and developed by the HCII's Future Interfaces Group, the new system allows for continuous touch tracking on the hands and arms. Read the top stories at Fast Company Design, Next Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Business Times, the Huffington Post, Discovery News, Newsweek, Mashable, Engadget, CNET and Gizmodo.
Disney Research, HCII Collaborate on New RFID Tag Technique
Radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags are designed primarily for inventory control, but researchers at Disney Research and the HCII have found a way to process the tag signals with sufficient speed to make them suitable for use in games, physical interfaces and other interactive objects. Read more about their work in Phys.Org, The Verge, Tech Crunch, Engadget and SlashGear.
Knowledge Accelerator
Carnegie Mellon researchers have developed a new system, called the Knowledge Accelerator, that uses a machine-learning program to sort and organize information uncovered by individuals focused on just a small segment of the larger project. It makes new assignments according to those findings, and creates a structure for the final report based on its emerging understanding of the topic. Read more in Campus Technology, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, ECN Mag and Phys.Org.
Digital Media Changes How You Think
The HCII's Geoff Kaufman was part of a team of researchers at Dartmouth — where he was a post-doc — to show that using digital platforms such as tablets and laptops for reading may make you more inclined to focus on concrete details rather than interpreting information more abstractly. Read more in Nature World News, HealthLine, Fox News, The Washington Post and Medical Daily.
Learn more about the HCII's participation in CHI 20106 in our overview story.