A system for supporting group activities with a sensor-embedded board

This correspondence describes a system called ePro for supporting face-to-face group activities. ePro connects a sensor-embedded board that utilizes radio frequency identification (RFID) technology for object recognition and a computer simulation, and is currently used to discuss urban planning and environmental problems. Users collaboratively construct a town by placing pieces such as houses on the board. The computer simulation program automatically recognizes the arrangement of pieces on the board. It then shows environmental changes of the town through visualized simulation results. The goal of ePro is to initiate group discussions: The physical board supports the participation of each user by allowing them to manipulate physical objects, and the computer simulation gives users feedback on their manipulation, which triggers their further actions. A comparative user study of ePro (with and without the sensor-embedded board) was conducted. Through the study, ePro has proved its high usability and effectiveness in activating discussions in face-to-face group activities

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