Physical Instruments for Digital Data

What happens when the interface to the database moves away from the current WWW/GUI/handheld computing model? Physical tools for wielding digital data may allow us to wield expert control over our increasingly complex data systems in much the same way that a violinist pulls incredible sound from an instrument. Intrinsic properties of physical form, especially when combined with cultural insight, allow deep and multi-layered manipulation of datasets.

The design and implementation of such novel devices and systems can, for example, enhance the human acts of reading, writing, and manipulating data. Creating prototypes that explore new and unusual uses of emerging technologies for reading, writing, and other kinds of learning trigger a whole set of questions: How can physical form and its embedded technology change our experience of reading text? How does the interaction of different sensory modalities impact understanding? What sensory tricks allow (or impede) efficient cognition? What about functions unique to interactive systems such as behavior, history, and non-linearity?

We have only scratched the surface of the possibilities in the multi-sensory interface. Multi-modal embedded systems and distributed sensor/actuator networks can be intrinsic to database instrumentation. Creating novel but effective physical/digital instruments for reading the world around us means building for design expression as well as problem-solving. By keeping design and technology in balance, we can create socially ept technologies in areas like education, medicine and assistive systems, and everyday life.