Despite long effort, few tangible interfaces are presently accessible in reproducible, generalizable form; accompanied by paths for hybrid physical and virtual realization; or coupled with bindings to extended content of widespread relevance. We present hybrid tangible interfaces that engage each of these, oriented both toward the ACM TEI community itself and broader generalizations. These include representations of all papers of the first 20 TEI conferences, structured by year; and of all papers by AI-assisted thematics. These include steps toward tangible “allomorphs” – interaction elements co-designed for both tangible and intangible realization; and fabrication and sensing via multiple low-cost paths.

We describe iterations on the design of a hexagonal token and constraint tangible and cyberphysical interface. Our system has been co-designed both for use in tangible, embedded, embodied interaction and extended reality classroom contexts, and within broader applied generalizations. We survey some of the related literature in hexagonal, rectangular, and triangular tangible interfaces. We express a design space characterizing several aspects of these prior systems; and apply these to a number of additional virtual and physical iterations. We accompany our text with 3D printable, circuit board, and virtual models for a number of these interactors, usable in both tangible and purely virtual forms, including versions engaging four different embedded computing platforms (Raspberry Pi Zero, Raspberry Pi Pico, Adafruit Circuit Playground, and Blinks). We discuss experiences from use of these in classroom settings, and steps toward broader applications.

Research on tangible user interfaces commonly focuses on tangible interfaces acting alone or in comparison with multi-touch or graphical interfaces. In contrast, hybrid approaches can be seen as the norm for established "mainstream" interaction paradigms. This paper proposes interfaces that support complementary use of physical and virtual interaction modalities with tangible and multi-touch interactions. We describe prototypes involving capacitively-sensed surfaces combined with laser-cut and 3D-printed dial-like tangibles. We employ them in the context of several computationally-mediated scientific poster scenarios, which we argue to have a number of attractions for such deployments. We present two platforms: one templated, the other highly customizable, supporting both tangible and multi-touch interactions across horizontal and vertical displays. We explore users' interaction modality choice among the options presented, draw lessons and challenges from posters developed by students, and consider future directions.

Multi-touch and tangible interfaces provide unique opportunities for enhancing learning and discovery with big data. However, existing interaction techniques have limitations when manipulating large data sets. Our goal is to define novel interaction techniques for multi-touch and tangible interfaces, which support the construction of complex queries for big data. In this paper, we present results from a study which investigates the use of gestural interaction with active tokens for manipulating large data sets. In particular, we studied user expectations of a hybrid tangible and gestural language engaging this space. Our main results include a vocabulary of user-defined gestures for interaction with active tokens, which extends beyond familiar multi-touch gestures; characterization of the design space of gestural interaction with active tokens; and insight into participants' mental models, including common metaphors. We also present implications for the design of multi-touch and tangible interfaces with active tokens.

The combination of advanced genomic technologies and computational tools enables researchers to conduct large-scale experiments that answer biological questions in unprecedented ways. However, interaction tools in this area currently remain immature. We propose that tangible, embedded, and embodied interaction (TEI) offers unique opportunities for enhancing discovery and learning in genomics. Also, designing for problems in genomics can help move forward the theory and practice of TEI. We present challenges and key questions for TEI research in genomics, lessons learned from three case studies, and potential areas of focus for TEI research and design.