Pneutouch: Exploring the affordances and interactions of haptic inflatables through a wrist-worn interface

TL;DR

Pneutouch is a wrist-worn pneumatic haptic device that enhances VR immersion by providing dynamic, shape-changing tactile feedback through inflatable proxies, enabling more immersive virtual interactions.

Contribution

This paper introduces Pneutouch, a novel untethered wrist-worn device that offers programmable stiffness and shape-changing haptic feedback for VR, expanding tactile interaction possibilities.

Findings

Pneutouch effectively delivers programmable haptic feedback.

User studies show increased immersion with Pneutouch.

The device can deliver multiple inflatable proxies into the user's hand.

Abstract

Haptic sensations that align with virtual reality (VR) experiences have a profound impact on presence and enjoyment. There is potential to explore the dynamic capabilities of pneumatic inflatables to offer immersive sensations in virtual environments, including variations in shape, size, and stiffness. We introduce Pneutouch, an ungrounded and untethered wrist-worn device designed as a pneumatic haptic interface for VR interactions. Pneutouch's dynamic inflation ability enables programmable stiffness and shape change of haptic proxies. Additionally, multiple haptic proxies can be delivered into and out of the user's hand grasp. We describe the implementation of the Pneutouch device. We conducted user studies to demonstrate the affordances of pneumatic inflatables and assessed the device's efficacy in providing haptic feedback. With Pneutouch, our goal is to expand what can be touched in the virtual space and bring more immersion into virtual reality.