Real-time 3D interaction with ActiveCube

Abstract

ActiveCube is a novel device that allows a user to construct and interact with a 3D environment by using cubes with a bi-directional user interface. A computer recognizes the 3D structure of connected cubes in real time by utilizing the real-time communication network among cubes. Also, ActiveCube is equipped with both input and output devices, at where the user expects to be, and this makes the interface intuitive and helps to clarify the causal relationship between the input of the user's operational intention and the output of simulated results. Consistency is always maintained between the real object and its corresponding representation in the computer in terms of object shape and functionalities.