Magic Lens

From HIT Lab NZ

Magic Lens

Researchers:	Julian Looser , Mark Billinghurst , Andy Cockburn
Date:	October 2005 - April 2008
Funding:	http://www.frst.govt.nz

MagicLenses are practical user interface tools that let the user customise a particular region of their workspace. A MagicLens applies a transformation to whatever content lies beneath it. For example, in a mapping application you could put a MagicLens over a street plan and see information about the pipes that are beneath the road.

MagicLenses have previously been developed for three dimensional computer graphics applications. However, we have built 3D MagicLenses for Augmented Reality (AR) applications and our interfaces allow users to interact with virtual content using these lenses.

This work is part of a larger project that aims to develop new ways of interacting with content in virtual environments, particularly augmented reality. The lens tool allows us to implement many interesting interaction techniques including magnification, object selection and information filtering.

There are applications for this technology in areas such as design, architecture and education. The lenses can be used to provide cutaway views of objects so that their inner workings are revealed. In a collaborative setting, lenses could be used be individual users to examine aspects of a model that interest them, while maintaining the default view as context.

We plan to research applications of the lens tool within virtual environments. We are particularly interested in the use of lenses in a collaborative setting, where the areas affected by multiple lenses may overlap indicating areas of mutual interest.