Pinch-the-Sky Dome:
Freehand Multi-Point Interactions with
Immersive Omni-Directional Data
Abstract
Pinch-the-Sky Dome is a large immersive installation
where several users can interact simultaneously with
omni-directional data inside of a tilted geodesic dome.
Our system consists of an omni-directional projector-
camera unit in the center of the dome. The projector is
able to project an image spanning the entire 360
degrees and a camera is used to track freehand
gestures for navigation of the content. The interactive
demos include: 1) the exploration of the astronomical
data provided by World Wide Telescope, 2) social
networking 3D graph visualizations, 3) immersive
panoramic images, and 4) 360 degree video
conferencing. We combine speech commands with
freehand pinch gestures to provide a highly immersive
and interactive experience to several users inside the
dome, with a very wide field of view for each user.
Keywords
Freehand interaction, omni-directional interface,
gestures, dome, curved displays.
Copyright is held by the author/owner(s).
CHI 2010, April 10–15, 2010, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
ACM 978-1-60558-930-5/10/04.
Hrvoje Benko
Microsoft Research
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052 USA
benko@microsoft.com
Andrew D. Wilson
Microsoft Research
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052 USA
benko@microsoft.com
2
ACM Classification Keywords
H5.2. Information interfaces and presentation (e.g.,
HCI): User Interfaces – Input devices and strategies:
Graphical user interfaces.
General Terms
Design, Human Factors.
Introduction
Pinch-the-Sky Dome is a large immersive installation
where several users can interact simultaneously with
omni-directional data inside of a tilted geodesic dome
(Figure 1). This experience is designed to immerse the
users in the omni-directional visualization and allow
them to manipulate and interact with data using
freehand gestures in mid-air without the need to wear
or hold tracking devices. In designing this experience,
we focus