Feeling the Grass Grow: Making Midair Haptic Parameters Visible, Touchable and Controllable

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel ultrasound mid-air haptic system that visualizes and simplifies control of complex tactile parameters using a 'Growing Grass' metaphor, enhancing user understanding and interaction with virtual textures.

Contribution

The system uniquely combines real-time visualization with a simplified control interface for multi-dimensional haptic parameters, improving user experience in mid-air tactile feedback.

Findings

Real-time visualization of haptic parameters improves user understanding.

The SLS optimization enables intuitive control via a single slider.

Users can experience realistic grass-like tactile sensations.

Abstract

In this paper, we present an ultrasound mid-air haptic interaction system that integrates a designed visualization of haptic parameters while maintaining ease of control. The design of corresponding haptic parameters for real-world tactile textures is a complex task. Furthermore, users often face difficulties in simultaneously controlling multi-dimensional haptic parameters to achieve the desired vibration feedback. To address these challenges, the SLS optimization method facilitates user control of these multi-dimensional parameters through a simple one-dimensional slider. Concurrently, our system employs the "Growing Grass" metaphor to visualize haptic parameter adjustments in real-time. This approach combining visual and haptic sensations can bring richer experiences and generate a realistic sensation of touching a grassy surface. Our objective is to enhance users' intuitive comprehension of haptic parameters through this innovative system.