One of the first things people do when they enter a room is turn on a light switch, or a series of light switches, depending on the time of day and situation. These light switches, however, have an arbitrary mapping from the switch on the wall to the actual space. For repeat visits a person might remember a semantic mapping from switch to space, but for visitors this process can be made easier.
Since our smartphones have Augmented Reality (AR), couldn’t we use it to turn on the lights? Augmented Reality is a live video feed overlaid with situated digital information. Researchers at JST ERATO built a prototype AR interface to illuminate parts of a room by “touching” areas to illuminate. The room is seen from bird’s eye view. Watch this video and see for yourself! (Note: I previously worked with researchers at JST ERATO in a separate AR interface project).
Lighty – ロボティック照明のためのペインティングインタフェース (Lighty – A Painting Interface for Robotic Lighting)