A Perspective on Interface Techniques in Tangible Augmented Reality for Mobile Devices

Abstract

One option for interactions in Augmented Reality (AR) is using physical objects, called tangibles. When virtual information augments tangibles, users can interact with the tangibles to manipulate the virtual content. This work introduces six interface techniques with different shaped tangibles for handheld devices in Tangible AR (TAR).We explore challenges and opportunities for the TAR-based interfaces and give practical insight into implementing them. In a user study, we show that users prefer performing touch interactions with user interface (UI) elements on a touchscreen over UI elements that are virtually projected onto a surface. In the latter case, users are challenged with hand coordination. Which tangible type they prefer depends on the application: For applications that focus on 3D interactions, users in our study prefer realistically shaped tangibles. For applications where users focus on the AR device’s screen, they preferred a generic tangible.