NodeBots

Data Physicalization is an emerging area of data representation that uses a wide variety of physical mediums and data sources. We propose ‘NodeBots’, a novel approach that integrates Swarm User Interfaces (SwarmUIs) with Network Visualizations to create an interactive, swarm-based physicalization of network graphs. NodeBots allows users to physically interact with the nodes of network graphs, creating physical metaphors for embodied graph interactions through the rich affordances of SwarmUIs. In this paper, we explore NodeBots’ interaction space and its applied interactions, such as sparse cuts and shortest paths.