PointRight: Pointer/Keyboard Redirection for Interactive Workspaces

The ubiquitous computing rooms and interactive workspaces currently being researched and deployed typically have several large screens and dozens of machines which can display to them. Providing convenient and intuitive pointer and keyboard access in such spaces is a challenge. The room should function as a large virtual desktop, and input should automatically be routed to whichever machine is currently displaying to a screen. Unfortunately, existing software and pointer redirection systems are limited to controlling a few dedicated machines with a single keyboard and mouse. PointRight provides intuitive, automatic pointer/keyboard redirection for interactive workspaces. It supports flexible topologies, dynamic changes in machine and screen state, multi-screen machines and can be installed on both permanent and transient machines in an interactive workspace. Versions of the system have been continuously deployed in our prototype interactive workspace over the last 18 months, and a public version is planned for September 2001.