new thesis idea

So I changed the scope of my thesis. I decided to keep playing with the idea of repurposing paper, but I would like to abandon the idea of collecting people’s waste, because I realized that I am not so interested in this social and collaborative dimension any more. Nonetheless I don’t want to totally get away from the subject, but rather I would like to approach it in a different way.

WHAT

I am thinking about experimenting with a paper-based interactive screen that would be built into a table. I would like to create a projected screen on a paper / fabric surface on the top of a table. The user would interact with it by moving stripes of rolled paper that would be scrolling on the surface of the table.
The digital applications for this are part of the exploration and they are going to be developed based on the results of some early testing of the physical installation.
For the moment I am thinking about some drawing applications, little games and data visualizations.

WHY

The project is an exploration of the physical and tactile property of paper as an interface for digital applications. I like the idea of scrolling because it’s an interaction paradigm that is very related to both paper and the digital world.

HOW

The first step is going to be a research on the different kinds of paper I can use, trying to find the ones that have the properties that I need. The paper has to be robust enough so that it wouldn’t tear, since it has to be scrolled over and over. It also has to be decided the level of transparency I would like it to have, which is going to determine if I am going to use projection from above the table or below.
The interface is not touch screen. All the sensing will be made using sensors, like using potentiometers that would rotate inside the paper rolls.

This is a rough sketch of what the setup would be like: