Beyond Device Pairing: New Interactions on NFC Enabled Mobile Phones

Near field communication (NFC) is a short-range wireless protocol that allows users to connect devices and access content and services by simply holding enabled devices near each other. Many of the existing applications (ticketing, purchasing, device configuration, etc.) use NFC as a method to transfer unique identifiers which then inform a larger system. While useful, these applications do not focus on the strengths of NFC technology or go beyond single function scenarios. This problem is addressed with a user interaction model for NFC enabled applications. The model draws parallels with the GUI model, leverages the existing knowledge users have about physical items in their environment, and can support a variety of applications tied together in a simple and intuitive way. To realize the model, custom hardware and software tools which allow researchers to build a variety of applications is provided. The tools exploit the unique capabilities of NFC and take the technology beyond pairing.