Tabletops - Horizontal Interactive Displays [electronic resource] / edited by Christian Müller-Tomfelde.

Under Tabletops -- Introduction: A Short History of Tabletop Research, Technologies, and Products -- Building Interactive Multi-touch Surfaces -- From Table–System to Tabletop: Integrating Technology into Interactive Surfaces -- High-Resolution Interactive Displays -- Optical Design of Tabletop Displays and Interactive Applications -- Hand and Object Recognition on Liquid Crystal Displays -- On and Above Tabletops -- Augmenting Interactive Tabletops with Translucent Tangible Controls -- Active Tangible Interactions -- Interaction on the Tabletop: Bringing the Physical to the Digital -- Supporting Atomic User Actions on the Table -- Imprecision, Inaccuracy, and Frustration: The Tale of Touch Input -- On, Above, and Beyond: Taking Tabletops to the Third Dimension -- Around and Beyond Tabletops -- Individual and Group Support in Tabletop Interaction Techniques -- File System Access for Tabletop Interaction -- Theory of Tabletop Territoriality -- Digital Tables for Collaborative Information Exploration -- Coordination and Awareness in Remote Tabletop Collaboration -- Horizontal Interactive Surfaces in Distributed Assemblies.

Tabletops - Horizontal Interactive Displays - are compelling interfaces with unique characteristics. In everyday work, education and entertainment environments, tabletops can provide a stunning experience of intuitive interaction by direct touch and gestures ideal for small group collaboration. Recent developments of various technologies such as display and multi-touch technologies open up new possibilities to enrich interaction on horizontal interactive displays. Bringing together current research in the domain of tabletops, this book integrates and summarises findings from the most important international tabletop research teams in 18 chapters. It provides a state-of-the art overview and allows for the discussion of emerging and future directions in research and technology of tabletops. An introductory chapter, presenting a short history of tabletop research, technologies and products precedes the three major parts of the book, titled: "under", "on and above" and "around and beyond" tabletops. These parts are associated with different research disciplines such as Hardware/ Software and Computer Science, Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW). Fellow tabletop researchers, practitioners who consider deploying interactive tabletops in real-world projects and interested readers from other research disciplines will find the book an excellent reference source which also provides a useful introduction into tabletop research for the academic curriculum.