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This paper presents our vision of on-the-wall tangible interaction. We envision a future where tangible interaction can be extended from conventional horizontal surfaces to vertical surfaces; indoor vertical areas such as walls, windows, and ceilings can be used for dynamic and direct physical manipulation. We first discuss the unique properties that vertical surfaces may offer for tangible interaction and the interaction scenarios they imbue. We then propose two potential paths for realizing on-the-wall interaction and the technical challenges we face. We follow with one prototype called Climbot. We showcase how Climbot can be used as an on-the-wall tangible user interface for dynamic lighting and as a wall switch controller. We conclude with a discussion of future work.

We propose Auth+Track, a novel authentication model that aims to reduce redundant authentication in everyday smartphone usage. By sparse authentication and continuous tracking of the user’s status, Auth+Track eliminates the “gap” authentication between fragmented sessions and enables “Authentication Free when User is Around”. To instantiate the Auth+Track model, we present PanoTrack, a prototype that integrates body and near field hand information for user tracking. We install a fisheye camera on the top of the phone to achieve a panoramic vision that can capture both user’s body and on-screen hands. Based on the captured video stream, we develop an algorithm to extract 1) features for user tracking, including body keypoints and their temporal and spatial association, near field hand status, and 2) features for user identity assignment. The results of our user studies validate the feasibility of PanoTrack and demonstrate that Auth+Track not only improves the authentication efficiency but also enhances user experiences with better usability.