TILTle: exploring dynamic balance

In this paper we introduce a novel tangible interface for exploring dynamic equilibria using the metaphor of a traditional balance scale. Rather than comparing and identifying physical weight, our scale can be used for contrasting digital data in different domains. We do this by assigning virtual weight to objects, which physically affects the scale. Our goal is to communicate complex comparison mechanisms, by making them visible and graspable, and expose temporality, by non-instantaneous computation results and over time changes reflected in the behavior of the scale. In this paper we present the interface and discuss the different interaction techniques possible with it.