Ishii & Ullmer, Tangible Bits: Toward Seamless Interfaces between People, Bits and Atoms

This paper is based on a new concept the authors are trying to create called "Tangible Bits" which incorporates hands-on foreground interactions with background perceptions of ambient light, sound, airflow, etc. The users are allowed to grasp and manipulate bits in their everyday physical objects and surfaces. The goal of Tangible Bits is to bridge the gap between cyberspace and the actual space around the user.

The three main concepts of Tangible Bits are:
1) interactive surfaces- ClearBoard
2) coupling of bits with graspable physical objects- Durrell Bishop's Marbel Answering Machine
3) ambient media for background awareness- Natalie Jeremijenko's Live Wire

Three prototype systems can be used to see these concepts in action:
1) the metaDESK
2) transBOARD
3) ambientROOM