Public display systems are increasingly becoming part of the urban landscape. Most public displays today are simple slide-show systems that broadcast content based on a pre-selected schedule. However, public displays envisioned in the near future will provide a rich platform for running diverse interactive and concurrently running applications that display viewers can actively select for presentation.

The aim of this project is to explore the development of an application selection interface for public displays in the form of user’s silhouette based on depth data and a touch screen interface. The main focus of this project is on: a) visualizing the presence of viewers in front of a display using depth information, b) adding icons of available display application to the user’s silhouette and change their size (silhouette and icons) depending on the users distance, and c) evaluating the interface. Application icons could be placed on the edges of the silhouette and by touching the icons viewers could select individual applications for an immediate on-demand presentation. The project should be developed using advanced web technologies that allow for streaming depth data and overlaying the shadow interface over the existing display content.