Interactive experience under canvas
Computer-based information systems are poised to revolutionise the way we perceive and extract data from our environment. Increasingly, the trend is to move away from the physical presence of the personal computer per se as the information source. The initiative of 'The disappearing computer' is that information technology can actually be diffused into everyday objects. Utilising this concept, the European funded project SHAPE focused on the inclusion of mixed reality entities in public places such as museums. A range of hybrid artefacts, each tailored to the target user, were developed by consortium members to allow exploration of their environment. These artefacts consist of both physical and digital features and furthermore can exist in both virtual and real worlds. At the University of Nottingham, a Storytent was developed for young learners. The appeal of the tent for generations of children was harnessed to produce the project display - a canvas cover in the form of an A-frame ridge tent. Storytent is a mixed reality interface to support interactive storytelling experiences for children. The tent detects and reacts to tagged objects. Young learners can sit inside the canvas and interact with 3D models, computer graphics and sound so they are immersed in the experience. To achieve the interaction with the virtual environment, there is a turntable that manipulates the 3D vantage point. Storytent offers children a unique interactive learning experience. Exploratoria, museums, galleries and the classroom are all potential areas where the Storytent can be used to enrich their education in a range of fields.
