ISBN 0-534-03380-6 (US hbk),,, 0-534-03387-3 (US pbk)

List of Illustrations ix
Foreword by Nicholas Negroponte xiii
Preface by Richard A.Bolt xv

1. Where in the World Is the Information? 1

Beyond the Keyboard 1
Using Space to Organize Data 3
Space and Computers 5
Highlights 6
Notes 6

2. The Uses of Space 8

The Media Room 8
The World of Dataland 9
Other Ways of Using Space 21
Design Issues 26
Future Developments 29
Highlights 29
Notes 30

3. Speech and Gesture 35

Machines That Recognize Speech 36
Speech and Context 39
When Gesture Is Gesture 41
Capturing Speech in the Media Room 41
Capturing Gesture in the Media Room 43
"Put-That-There" 44
Economy in Conversation 49
Highlights 49
Notes 50

4. Eyes as Output 53

Eye Actions 54
Tracking Technologies 54
Dynamic Windows: A Prototype 59
Processing Where You Look 62
The Prospects for Tracking 64
Highlights 66
Notes 66

5. The Terminal as Milieu 69

Virtual Solid Space 69
Overview and Immersion 71
The User as Actor 74
Nonplanar Screens 77
Highlights 78
Notes 78

6. Future Interfaces 81

Circumstantial Indexing 81
Multimodal Interaction 83
Self-Disclosure 86
Highlights 96
Notes 97

Bibliography 100
Index 109

"The Human Interface is a visionary work that explores that physical, sensory, and intellectual space that lies between computers and ourselves. It paints an exciting and inviting picture of the full range of interaction potentials between humans and computers...a picture of an interface in which communicating with a computer is as easy as -- or easier -- than talking to another human being.

"The impetus for this work arose out of the author's participation in human/machine interface work at MIT's pioneering Architecture Machine Group, where he helped formulate this vision of the interface as an eminently habitable place to be. Dr. Bolt presents an intriguing narrative, including descriptions of specific experiments that have already proven how humans and computers can 'converse', as he explores such central themes as:

spatiality as a radically new approach to storing and retrieving data (Bolt describes a hypothetical 'Dataland' -- where a universe of information can be summoned by touch or command... where the room itself is the terminal.)

speech and gesture working together in a powerful way to express commands

the use of eye direction and eye contact for communicating with computers

the interface as a place -- not just a tiny porthole into data, but a physical, sensory, and intellectual space that lies between computers and ourselves

"If you're a conceptualizer or designer of computer systems, you may very well find this book inspirational. If you're a computer programmer, engineer, architect, ergonomist, psychologist, physiologist, or if you're simply intrigued by the coming of the 'new age' of computers, then you'll undoubtedly be fascinated by Bolt's insights.

"Between these covers, you'll see exciting examples and experiments that point to the opportunities of the next decade." [jacket blurb, US hbk, 1984).

"The historic beginnings of cyberspace. A truly pioneering work." --Henry W.Targowski (in Mark/Space , 23 May 1997).

Highly recommended.

Media Lab
(Media Laboratory website at M.I.T. ... preceded by the Architecture Machine Group)