ReacTIVision

Why (Not) ReacTIVision: Emerging Challenges and Opportunities for Building Tangible User Interfaces with Computer Vision Toolkits

Outdated Computer Vision (CV) toolkits for Tangible User Interfaces (TUI) have led to fragmented practices, diminished reproducibility, and reduced community support. This paper examines the past, present, and future trajectory of CV-TUI toolkits. First, our scoping review of ACM literature reveals a divergence between applications using the limited interactions of established toolkits like ReacTIVision and the fragmented, bespoke systems built for complex interactions, highlighting the need for advanced toolkits that enable accessible making. Second, we present proof-of-concept applications using the contemporary ArUco fiducial marker library. We demonstrate how accessible hardware, like a top-down camera and a flat-panel display, can support a comprehensive design space of tangible interactions beyond 2D manipulation, including 3D spatial interaction, multi-device interaction, and actuated tangibles within canonical applications. Finally, reflecting on our findings, we offer six suggestions for building next-generation CV-TUI toolkits. This study provides the TUI community with an updated perspective to inform future research.

ACME Lab

Krithik Ranjan, S. Sandra Bae, Peter Gyory, Ellen Yi-Luen Do, Clement Zheng, Rong-Hao Liang. “Why (Not) ReacTIVision: Emerging Challenges and Opportunities for Building Tangible User Interfaces with Computer Vision Toolkits”. In: TEI '26: Proceedings of the Nineteenth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction. (Chicago, IL, March 8-11, 2026).