Figure 1. Exemplars of Human-Computer Integration: extending the body with additional robotic arms; [70] embedding computation into the body using electric muscle stimulation to manipulate handwriting [48]; and, a tail extension controlled by body movements [86].

Figure 1. iSkin is a thin, flexible, stretchable and visually customizable touch sensor that can be worn directly on the skin. We present three novel classes of on-body devices based on iSkin: (a) FingerStrap, exemplified here with a strap on the index finger for fast, one-handed control of incoming calls; (b) Extensions for wearable devices, exemplified here with a rollout keyboard attached to a smart watch; and SkinStickers, exemplified here with (c) an input surface for a music player attached to the forearm, (d) a click wheel on the back of the hand and (e) a headset control behind the ear. ABSTRACTWe propose iSkin, a novel class of skin-worn sensors for touch input on the body. iSkin is a very thin sensor overlay, made of biocompatible materials, and is flexible and stretchable. It can be produced in different shapes and sizes to suit various locations of the body such as the finger, forearm, or ear. Integrating capacitive and resistive touch sensing, the sensor is capable of detecting touch input with two levels of pressure, even when stretched by 30% or when bent with a radius of 0.5 cm. Furthermore, iSkin supports single or multiple touch areas of custom shape and arrangement, as well as more complex widgets, such as sliders and click wheels. Recognizing the social importance of skin, we show visual design patterns to customize functional touch sensors and allow for a visually aesthetic appearance. Taken together, these contributions enable new types of on-body devices. This includes finger-worn devices, extensions to conventional wearable devices, and touch input stickers, all fostering direct, quick, and discreet input for mobile computing.

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