Rubikon

By taking inspiration from the original Rubik's Cube we propose a new way of interacting with a personal computer. Rubikon is an independent interactive device which can, not only be used as a controller, but also a personal device. Over the period of 8 weeks we created a prototype which can be used to control a number of applications on a user's personal computer, as shown in the video below:

For any new interactive device it's success depends on user feedback; Rubikon is no different. A group of fifteen individuals were asked to independently carry out various tasks, such as navigating through the file system, using the Rubikon and. They were then asked to rate their experience on a scale of 1 - 5 with 5 being very intuitive. The results of the experiments can be seen in the graph below:

The general consensus among the participants was that it was very straight forward for them to interact with the personal computer using their basic knowledge of physics and how various applications worked.

This work in progress device can be made standalone and platform-independent. This can be achieved by adding wireless connectivity, replacing the current Arduino board with a smaller integrated controller board, and adding a portable power source.
In conclusion, Rubikon is a highly configurable independent device enabling a diverse set of interactions. Despite having many degrees of freedom and a large number of possible rotations, use remains intuitive and easy to master.