2026-09-18T23:38:35Zhttps://dspace.mit.edu/server/oai/requestoai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/620942022-01-13T07:55:04Zcom_1721.1_7582com_1721.1_7581col_1721.1_131023
Fred Martin.
McNerney, Timothy S
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture. Program In Media Arts and Sciences.
Program in Media Arts and Sciences (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
2011-04-04T17:39:09Z
2011-04-04T17:39:09Z
1999
2000
http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/62094
45278905
Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Media Arts & Sciences, February 2000.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 65-68).
Thanks to inexpensive microprocessors, consumer electronics are getting more powerful. They offer us greater control over our environment, but in a sense they are getting too powerful for their own good. A programmable thermostat can make my home more comfortable and save energy, but only if I successfully program it to match my life-style. Graphical, direct manipulation user interfaces are step in the direction of making devices easier to program, but it is still easier to manipulate physical objects in the real world than it is to interact with virtual objects "inside" a computer display. Tangible, or graspable user interfaces help bridge the gap between the virtual world and the physical world by allowing us to manipulate digital information directly with our hands. Tangible Programming Bricks are physical building blocks for constructing simple programs. In this thesis I provide technical details of the Bricks themselves, demonstrate that they are useful for controlling a variety of digital "everyday objects," from toy cars to kitchen appliances, and set the stage for future research that will more rigorously support my hypothesis that tangible programming is easier to understand, remember, explain to others, and perform in social settings, when compared to traditional programming mechanisms.
by Timothy Scott McNerney.
S.M.
86 leaves
eng
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
M.I.T. theses are protected by
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http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582
Architecture. Program In Media Arts and Sciences.
Tangible programming bricks : an approach to making programming accessible to everyone
Thesis
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