A Tangible Environment for Ambient Data Representation

In this paper we develop an ambient information environment called AmbiD that allows the user to specify intuitively- by moving tangible objects on our tangible desk environment- which data sources shall be connected with different ambient information displays, and how important the information is to the user. We explain the used technique and our current implementation in detail and give examples of possible data sources, displays and their interconnection. Figure 1: AmbiD in action. A tangible object (foreground) on the desktop of the tDesk, and Ambient Lights displays (background)