Controlling data flows between appliances using a camera phone

In recent studies, user interaction models for connecting information appliances to each other using real-world tangible interaction are limited to specified scenarios or applications. We developed a novel model for connecting appliances in every scenario based on the extension of the drag-and-drop interaction metaphor, which has proved acceptable to users. By applying this model with a camera-phone, we propose an interaction technique that is able to realize the direction of the data flow between connected appliances. One of the most important differences from existing research is that our technique enables users not only to use data files contained by one appliance on another appliance, but also to associate and configure networked appliances to each other, in a tangible manner.