Katrin Wolf

Architecture prototyping with VR

Even though, three-dimensional representations of architectural models exist, experiencing these models like one would experience a fully constructed building is still a major challenge. With Virtual Reality (VR) it is now possible to experience a number of scenarios in a virtual environment. Also prototyping interactive architecture elements, which might be very expensive, becomes possible. […]

Lifelog Video Retrieval

With the advent of lifelogging cameras the amount of personal video material is massively growing to an extent that easily overwhelms the user. To efficiently review lifelog data, we need well designed video navigation tools. In this project, we analyze which cues are most beneficial for lifelog video navigation. We show that the information […]

Media Spaces

The group exhibition Media Spaces, curated by Katrin Wolf and shown at the ARS ELECTRONICA FESTIVAL 2016, contains media projects that research innovative conceptual solutions within the realm where real and virtual spaces come together. They include artworks created with a focus on spatial aspects of media installations, including their dimension and perception, to show […]

Proxemic Zones of Exhibits

We investigate intimate proxemic zones of exhibits, which are zones that visitor will respect and hence not enter. In a first experiment we show that exhibits have, like humans, an intimate proxemic zone that is respected by exhibition visitors and which is 27cm. A zone around an exhibit that visitors will not enter can be […]

Paper TUI

Tangible user interfaces (TUIs) have been proposed to interact with digital information through physical objects. However being investigated since decades, TUIs still play a marginal role compared to other UI paradigms. This is at least partially because TUIs often involve complex hardware elements, which make prototyping and production in quantities difficult and expensive. In […]

Surface Illusions

The work presented here aims to enrich material perception when touching interactive surfaces. This is realized through simulating changes in the perception of various material properties, such as softness and bendability. The thereby created perceptual illusions of surface changes are induced using electrotactile stimuli and texture projection as touch/pressure feedback. A metal plate with […]

Pick-Ring

We are frequently switching between devices, and currently we have to unlock most of them. Ideally such devices should be seamlessly accessible and not require an unlock action. We introduce PickRing, a wearable sensor that allows seamless interaction with devices through predicting the intention to interact with them through the device’s pick-up detection. A […]

art meets science

art meets science: eine Ausstellung mit Lichtprojektionen, 3D-Druckern, malenden Robotern, Videoinstallationen und interaktiven Bildern. Gezeigt werden Arbeiten aus Kunst und Wissenschaft, die mittels Verwendung verschiedener Medien und Materialien Gesten der Technik darstellen. Vernissage: Freitag, 4. Juli 2014, 19-22 Uhr Finissage: Samstag, 5. Juli 2014, 12-18 Uhr Projektraum Römerstraße: Römerstraße 2, Stuttgart / U-Bhf. Marienplatz […]

Tablet Interaction with Grasping Hands

This project, which is my PhD topic, develops guidelines for a future device type: a tablet that allows ergonomic front- and back-of-device interaction. These guidelines are derived from empirical studies and developed to fit the users’ skills to the way the novel device type is held. Three particular research areas that are relevant to […]

FUI: Feelable User Interfaces

Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) represent digital information via a number of sensory modalities including the haptic, visual and auditory senses. We suggest that interaction with tangible interfaces is commonly governed primarily through visual cues, despite the emphasis on tangible representation. We do not doubt that visual feedback offers rich interaction guidance, but argue that […]

Whole Hand Modeling using 8 Wearable Sensors

Although Data Gloves allow for the modeling of the human hand, they can lead to a reduction in usability as they cover the entire hand and limit the sense of touch as well as reducing hand feasibility. As modeling the whole hand has many advantages (e.g. for complex gesture detection) we aim for modeling […]

Tickle: A Surface-independent Interaction Technique for Grasp Interfaces

We present a wearable interface that consists of motion sensors. As the interface can be worn on the user’s fingers (as a ring) or fixed to it (with nail polish), the device controlled by finger gestures can be any generic object, provided they have an interface for receiving the sensor’s signal. We implemented four […]

Flaw: seamless microinteractions for enriched drawing experience

This demonstration was presented at World Haptics Conference 2011. We showed a finger worn accelerometer interface for modifying the stroke attributes while drawing on a touch surface. We support input through finger touch and pen. In example, a scroll movement with the index finger (or pen) changes the stroke width, and shaking the hand […]

A Study of On-Device Gestures

Regardless of how gestural phone interaction (like pinching on a touch screen for content zooming) is implemented in almost any mobile device; there are still no design guidelines for gestural control. These should be designed with respect to ergonomics and hand anatomy. There are many human-side aspects to take care of when designing gestures. […]

PinchPad: Performance of Touch-Based Gestures while Grasping Devices

This paper focuses on combining front and back device interaction on grasped devices, using touch-based gestures. We designed generic interactions for discrete, continuous, and combined gesture commands that are executed without hand-eye control because the performing fingers are hidden behind a grasped device. We designed the interactions in such a way that the thumb […]

Artist Pointer

Artist Pointer is critically questioning the role of the artist in a process of exhibiting digital art, no matter if existing of software only or if the work became physical through digital manufacturing, like 3D printing, 3D milling or laser-cutting. Any work that is creating digital files have this huge benefit of being distributed through […]

Berlin – New York Tunnel

The idea of collaborating on a piece across the Atlantic with people we do not know, and moreover, do not know if we can rely on them or their aesthetic, was both exciting and a little bit terrifying. Who are the people I am working with? How big is the time difference? How will I […]

Animation for education

[fvplayer src=wp-content/uploads/2013/05/scherenschnitt_Tfass_fin_Take_this_001.flv width=“622″ height=“400″] These animations are prototypes that result from participating in an interdisciplinary European funded research and development project that was a collboration between the Jewish Museum Berlin and the University of Applied Science (HTW) Berlin. My responsibility concerned any visual media content, including storyboard development, media production, and interaction design. […]

Taxonomy of microinteractions: defining microgestures based on ergonomic and scenario-dependent requirements

This paper explores how microgestures can allow us to execute a secondary task, for example controlling mobile applications, without interrupting the manual primary task, for instance, driving a car. In order to design microgestures iteratively, we interviewed sports- and physiotherapists while asking them to use task related props, such as a steering wheel, […]

Touching the Void: Gestures for Auditory Interfaces

Nowadays, mobile devices provide new possibilities for gesture interaction due to the large range of embedded sensors they have and their physical form factor. In addition, auditory interfaces can now be more easily supported through advanced mobile computing capabilities. Although different types of gesture techniques have been proposed for handheld devices, there is still […]

Foogue: Eyes-Free Interaction for Smartphones

Graphical user interfaces for mobile devices have several drawbacks in mobile situations. In this paper, we present Foogue, an eyes-free interface that utilizes spatial audio and gesture input. Foogue does not require visual attention and hence does not divert visual attention from the task at hand. Foogue has two modes, which are designed to fit […]