3D User Interfaces: Theory and Practice

Part II. Hardware Technologies for 3D User Interfaces

One way to describe human–computer interfaces is as a means of communication between a user (or users) and a system. The user must communicate commands, requests, questions, intent, and goals to the system. The system in turn must provide feedback, requests for input, information about the system state, and so on. We can think of this communication process as a series of translations. The user and the system do not speak the same language, so the interface must serve as a translator or intermediary between them. In fact, there are multiple translation steps involved (Figure P.1): the user first translates her goals into actions; next, the input device translates those physical actions into ...