Project Zanzibar: A Portable and Flexible Tangible Interaction Platform
After refreshing my research on Calm Technology, I wanted to look at Tangible Interfaces for my next blog post, as it is the second component of my soon to be started Master’s thesis. While researching for an impulse like an event or presentation, I found one of the most exciting tangible interface developments I have seen so far. Microsoft’s Project Zanzibar. So I decided to explore and get to know the project instead. This innovative research project presents a flexible, rollable mat that enables seamless interaction between the physical and digital worlds using touch, gestures and tagged objects. It creates what I believe to be a calm, tangible interface without losing the digital benefits of smart products and without being intrusive or demanding.
The Project
Project Zanzibar is a tangible interaction platform developed by Microsoft Research. At its core is a flexible mat embedded with a Near Field Communication (NFC) system and capacitive sensing technology. This enables the mat to track touch, recognise gestures and interact with physical objects placed on it. The mat is designed to be portable, with a rollable form factor that makes it easy to transport and use in different contexts. Unlike traditional tabletop interfaces that rely on optical tracking and projection, Zanzibar integrates NFC and capacitive sensing to enable real-time object recognition and manipulation without the constraints of fixed installations. This makes it a promising tool for game design, education and creative storytelling, offering new possibilities for tangible interaction.
The Zanzibar mat identifies and tracks objects using NFC tags, which are simple, low-cost stickers attached to physical objects. These tags store unique identifiers that allow the mat to recognise specific objects and their movements. In addition, the capacitive sensing technology enables multi-touch interactions and hover gestures, enhancing the way users can interact with digital content through physical manipulation. One of the unique features of Zanzibar is its ability to sense object orientation and stacking. By using special NFC tag designs with metallic properties, the mat can detect the rotation of an object. Stacking tags allow Zanzibar to determine the order of stacked objects, making it ideal for applications such as board games or layered data visualisation.
One of the biggest challenges in interaction design is finding ways to physical and digital experiences seamlessly. Zanzibar demonstrates a compelling approach by enabling natural interactions with everyday objects, making digital experiences more intuitive and engaging. By supporting energy harvesting NFC tags, the platform enables more advanced interactions. For example, interactive tags can be used to light up LEDs or trigger small actuators, creating dynamic and responsive tangible objects. These features could be particularly useful in education, where physical engagement improves learning outcomes, or in IoT applications, where physical controls could interact with intelligent environments.
Applications
Project Zanzibar has been explored in a number of interactive applications, particularly in the gaming and education sectors. For example, Pirate Toybox is a game where physical toy figures placed on the mat trigger corresponding digital dialogues and actions. The system uses audio feedback to create immersive, screen-free gaming experiences. Another exciting use case is Movie Maker, an application aimed at children aged 5-12. This tool allows children to tell stories by manipulating physical toys and props on the mat, which then control digital avatars on a connected screen. This provides an intuitive way for children to explore storytelling and animation through tangible interactions. Zanzibar has also been tested in Augmented Reality (AR) applications. In AR Tower Defence, the mat is used in combination with a Microsoft HoloLens device to create a hybrid AR gaming experience. Players use tangible objects to control characters and place defences, while viewing digital overlays through the AR headset.
Reflection
As I will be focusing on tangible interfaces for notification interactions and smart products in my research and master’s thesis on Calm Technology, Project Zanzibar serves as an inspiration for designing more seamless and ambient interactions. The mat’s ability to integrate digital notifications through tangible objects provides a unique opportunity to explore alternative ways of interacting with digital information beyond screens and traditional input methods. This is exactly what I am trying to achieve with the practical part of my master’s thesis. Imagine, for example, a home automation system that uses tangible objects on a Zanzibar-like surface to control lighting, temperature or music in an intuitive, non-intrusive way. It shows that with the technology we already have, we are no longer tied to screen-based and disruptive products, and that is what we should be aiming for to create a future where digitality and reality work in balance, respecting human needs and boundaries once again.