As great as it is to have touchscreen devices that can be reprogrammed to display any kind of 2D interface, sometimes nothing beats a real-world button. Specialty input devices can be extremely beneficial in certain domains, and I believe it is easier to envision better physical interfaces when one isn't constrained by the assumption that it will be prohibitively difficult or expensive to create a working prototype.

Recent developments in low-cost computing hardware have made this much more practical than it used to be, but in the early 2000s, there were fewer options. From 2002 through 2008, I worked with Dr. Richard Han's research group to help develop the MANTIS wireless sensor network platform, where my focus was largely on exploring the ways in which that technology could facilitate better user interaction with computers. My doctoral research ended up taking a very different direction, so most of these ideas were never fully realized, but I did build a few proof-of-concept devices along the way.