Simplifying prototyping of friction-based haptics and miniature input devices for VR

Abstract

The HCI community widely recognizes the significant benefits of integrating haptic feedback and input devices into digital environments. These integrations are crucial to creating authentic user experiences, enabling users to perceive digital environments naturally, manipulate virtual objects with ease, and engage deeply with digital content and activities. However, despite the potential of integrating these methods into the digital realm, such solutions are often explored or come with significant limitations that are frequently overlooked or not taken into account while designing. These limitations include issues with scalability, complexity (demanding substantial object/user/environment instrumentation or modification), and cost-effectiveness. Consequently, such issues create significant barriers to accessing current proposed solutions, particularly for users in resource-constrained settings, thereby preventing widespread adoption (useful from the perspective of prototyping) and their straightforward use of these methods. Motivated by these challenges, my thesis aims to pioneer the design and development of novel haptic feedback and input device methods that are scalable, simple, and cost-effective. The primary goal is to address the lag in the development of accessible type haptic feedback and input device design methods amidst rapid advancements in other technologies. By emphasizing this disparity, the objective is to catalyze future development and focus on the global democratization of access to these technologies. Because it will allow users all around the world to benefit from simplified prototyping procedures while leveraging the potential of haptic effects and physical interaction approaches. In the first project, I introduce HaptiDrag, a device that harnesses the electro adhesion phenomenon to produce variable drag effects on physical interfaces. This paper-thin and lightweight solution overcomes the limitations of traditional mechanical and ultrasonic based haptic feedback systems, offering scalability, low-complexities, and adaptability across various surfaces. Extensive user studies have shown that HaptiDrag effectively enhances VR interactions by enabling users to feel varying intensities of friction, thereby enriching the sensory experience in digital environments. In the second project, I enable in a simplified way the realistic simulation of precise manipulation experiences in VR akin to those experienced with precision hand-held tools in the real world. This work offers an accessible and cost-effective approach, overcoming the challenges of traditional and proposed physical methods, such as complex setups, no realistic experiences, active components, high costs, and sophisticated programming. In the third project, I explore another method for developing miniature input devices for VR while also enabling interaction with everyday physical objects that addresses past challenges with innovative solutions. I have demonstrated that non-smart objects also, e.g., like stylus-type ballpoint pens and fashionable rings, which users typically use for a single purpose, can now also serve as input devices without any additional instrumentation of the objects, the user, or the environment. My approach contrasts sharply with traditional methods that demand explicit instrumentation, showcasing a significant advancement in the usability of non-smart objects and the simplicity of the explored approach. Collectively, my thesis makes substantial contributions to the field of human-computer interaction. It not only showcases realistic user interactions in a straightforward and lightweight manner within digital environments but also strongly emphasizes and enhances the design accessibility and usability of the proposed haptic feedback and input device methods compared to previous approaches. This facilitates wider user adoption while maintaining enriched digital experiences. Ultimately, my thesis takes a step forward by emphasizing that the true potential of any invented methods can only be realized if they are made accessible to all users, to envision a future of accessible methods (rather than only methods) available to everyone anywhere and everywhere.