Team designs twist on software

Manual manipulation of ShapeTape <br>(Image: Ravin Balakrishnan)

Virtual shapes created on a computer screen by manipulating ShapeTape, a flexible tape-like tool

U of T researchers have created software that will enable users to twist, bend, push and pull shapes in two and three dimensions.”

Our work represents a completely different way of interacting with computers,” says Professor Ravin Balakrishnan of U of T’s Department of Computer Science, who led the research. “It moves away from the ’one-size-fits-all’ keyboard and mouse paradigm to more specialized tools for specialized tasks.”

The team’s software allows users to create virtual shapes on a computer screen by manipulating a flexible tool called ShapeTape in tandem with a foot pedal. ShapeTape, which looks like a long rubber ribbon, has a spring steel core and is embedded with fibre optic sensors. The tape, which is physically held in both hands, can be twisted and bent to change sizes and shapes on screen. It can also locate shapes in three dimensions. “We’re able to do more things in the virtual world,” says Balakrishnan, “while still maintaining a connection to the physical world.”

Balakrishnan says the ShapeTape software could be used to design and refine technical drawings of virtually any product, including computers and cars. The research appears in the Association of Computing Machinery’s Computer-Human Interaction Letters, Volume 5, Issue 1.

Nicolle Wahl is a news services officer with the department of public affairs.

CONTACT:

Professor Ravin Balakrishnan, Department of Computer Science, ph: (416) 978-5359; email: ravin@cs.toronto.edu

U of T Public Affairs, ph: (416) 978-6974; email: nicolle.wahl@utoronto.ca

Media Contact

Nicolle Wahl University of Toronto

All latest news from the category: Information Technology

Here you can find a summary of innovations in the fields of information and data processing and up-to-date developments on IT equipment and hardware.

This area covers topics such as IT services, IT architectures, IT management and telecommunications.

Back to home

Comments (0)

Write a comment

Newest articles

Acetylation: a Time-Keeper of glucocorticoid Sensitivity

Understanding the regulatory mechanism paves the way to enhance the effectiveness of anti-inflammatory therapies and to develop strategies to counteract the negative effects of stress- and age-related cortisol excess. The…

Mini satellite wants to take quantum communication to space

Researchers from Jena, Würzburg and Potsdam have successfully developed a design for the smallest system of its kind so far to take highly secure quantum communication to space: Led by…

Results for control of pollutants in water

Brazilian scientists tested a simple and sustainable method for monitoring and degrading a mixture of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, compounds present in fossil fuels and industrial waste. An article published in the journal Catalysis…

Partners & Sponsors