Pen-based Interaction with Digital Content in Creative Design Environments Levent Burak Kara Carnegie Mellon University Friday, April 17, 2009 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Fuller Labs 320 ABSTRACT: Today’s design environments take advantage of computational technology more than ever before. However, as computers become more capable, they also become more complicated resulting in a constantly increasing demand for human specialization and expertise in using these tools. In my research, I am exploring ways to make computational technology more effective and accessible in all facets of the design and engineering processes by developing interactive design tools that are intelligent, cognitive, and natural to use. A significant portion of my research targets conceptual design stages by developing smart software that can work from unconventional input mechanisms that designers are already comfortable with. In particular, I have been developing pen-based design technology that fluidly translates humans’ hand drawings into functional design content that can be seamlessly modified, simulated and optimized all through a pen-and-paper like interface. With advances in these directions, we will have the opportunity to make design assistants ever more valuable to designers by enhancing their creativity and productivity. In this talk, I will present highlights of my research efforts to realize this goal. This talk will illustrate the idea of interactive intelligent interfaces with particular emphasis on computational sketch understanding, pen-based 2D/3D geometric modeling, and design enhancement through geometric and diagrammatic reasoning. A variety of implemented 2D/3D systems will be demonstrated including SimuSketch; a sketch-based interface for Matlab’s Simulink package. Finally, based on my past and current work, I will discuss some of my aspirations for the future. ______ Levent Burak Kara is an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. His research interests include intelligent design tools, pen computing, geometric modeling, human–computer interaction, and artificial intelligence. Kara has a BS in mechanical engineering from the Middle East Technical University, and an MS and PhD in mechanical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. Host: David C. Brown Refreshments will be served. Maintained by webmaster@cs.wpi.edu Last modified: April 15, 2009

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