Molecular Implementation of Shape-Changing User Interfaces – MolecUI

Shape-changing user interfaces (SCUI) are a promising way to interact with computers. MolecUI’s objective is to study programmable matter as a new way to implement SCUI. Programmable matter is defined here as a modular robot composed of a huge number of mm-scale, stand-alone, and detachable robots that rearrange themselves in the 3D space, allowing the formation of as many shapes as play-doh. MolecUI’s research hypotheses is that programmable matter provides an unprecedented solution for the implementation of SCUI. Programmable matter can overcome the drawbacks of current SCUI implementations such as pneumatic actuation or rod-based displays. On the contrary to previous work, programmable matter allows adding matter to the interface, allows empty areas, provides untethered interface, supports both system and user actuation of the shape, and supports attach- & detach-ability of the modules. MolecUI goes beyond previous work, by studying HCI implemented with stand-alone and attachable/detachable robots that move in 3D.
To achieve its objectives, MolecUI brings user-centered design to programmable matter, and prospective research –building the technology with experts– to HCI. MolecUI addresses the challenge of introducing the interaction between the user and programmable matter, not addressed so far. MolecUI develops common conceptual foundations, on top of which we base a strong scientific understanding of molecular UIs. On top of these, we base the implementation of a demonstrator. MolecUI is a multidisciplinary project focusing on interaction through actuated modular systems that cannot be solved without a collaborative effort of both partners with complementary expertise. MolecUI will build the smallest interactive micro-robots ever, with the most degrees of freedom for shape-change. MolecUI will design building blocks of a prototyping tool for molecular SCUI, a requisite step towards a theory of SCUI. MolecUI will profoundly impact the way we interact with computers, providing in the long term physical UIs as flexible as current GUI and GUIs as tangible as objects. MolecUI will impact industry currently developing TUIs and GUIs.