TACTIC: An API for Touch and Tangible Interaction

Abstract

Interactive surfaces, gesture recognition, object tracking, tangible interaction are increasingly moving from the research arena to the domain of commercial applications. However, the effort required to combine all these technologies is still a barrier preventing a wider adoption. In this paper, we present TACTIC, an API combining touch surfaces, tangibles, and the interaction space above the surface, in a way that allows developers to easily combine all these features, and distribute interfaces across multiple devices if required. Additionally, we present the results of a developer study showing how TACTIC is easy to learn and use.