The cognitive coprocessor architecture for interactive user interfaces

ABSTRACT

The graphics capabilities and speed of current hardware systems allow the exploration of 3D and animation in user interfaces, while improving the degree of interaction as well. In order to fully utilize these capabilities, new software architectures must support multiple, asynchronous, interacting agents (the Multiple Agent Problem), and support smooth interactive animation (the Animation Problem). The Cognitive Coprocessor is a new user interface architecture designed to solve these two problems, while supporting highly interactive user interfaces that have 2D and 3D animations. This architecture includes 3D Rooms, a 3D analogy to the Rooms system with Rooms Buttons extended to Interactive Objects that deal with 3D, animation, and gestures. This research is being tested in the domain of Information Visualization, which uses 2D and 3D animated artifacts to represent the structure of information. A prototype, called the Information Visualizer, has been built.

REFERENCES

• 1: Brown, M.H. (1987). Algorithm animation. MIT Press.
• 2: Card, SK. (1989). H uman Factors and Artificial Intelligence. In P.A. Hanccock & M.H. Chignell (Eds.), InteIZigent interfaces: Theory, research and design. Elsevier Science Publishers B.V. (North- Holland).
• 3: Duisberg, R.A. (1988). Animation using temporal constraints: an overview of the animus system. Human-Computer Interaction, 3, 275-307, Lawrence Erlbaum.
• 4: D. Austin Henderson, Jr. , Stuart Card, Rooms: the use of multiple virtual workspaces to reduce space contention in a window-based graphical user interface, ACM Transactions on Graphics (TOG), v.5 n.3, p.211-243, July 1986 [doi>10.1145/24054.24056]
• 5: Mackinlay, J .D., Card, S.K., & Robertson, G.G. (in preparation) A semantic analysis and taxonomy of input devices. To appear in Human-Computer Interaction, Lawrence Erlbaum.
• 6: Thomas W Malone , Kenneth R Grant , Franklyn A Turbak , Stephen A Brobst , Michael D Cohen, Intelligent information-sharing systems, Communications of the ACM, v.30 n.5, p.390-402, May 1987 [doi>10.1145/22899.22903]
• 7: Sheridan, T.B. (1984). Supervisory control of remote manipulators, vehicles and dynamic processes: experiments in command and display aiding. Advances in Man-Machine System Research, 1, 49-137, JAI Press.
• 8: Thomas, F., & Johnston, 0. (1981). Disney animation - the illusion of life. Abbeville Press (New York).

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  C. Computer Systems Organization
  C.1 PROCESSOR ARCHITECTURES

Additional Classification:
  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
      D.2.2 Design Tools and Techniques
          Subjects: User interfaces

  H. Information Systems
  H.3 INFORMATION STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL

  I. Computing Methodologies
  I.3 COMPUTER GRAPHICS
      I.3.7 Three-Dimensional Graphics and Realism
          Subjects: Animation

General Terms:
Design, Performance