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This paper introduces MagPen, a magnetically driven pen interface that works both on and around mobile devices. The proposed device is accompanied by a new vocabulary of gestures and techniques that increase the expressiveness of the standard capacitive stylus. These techniques are: 1) detecting the orientation that the stylus is pointing to, 2) selecting colors using locations beyond screen boundaries, 3) recognizing different spinning gestures associated with different actions, 4) inferring the pressure being applied to the pen, and 5) identifying various pens associated with different operational modes. These techniques are achieved using commonly available smartphones that sense and analyze the magnetic field produced by a permanent magnet embedded in a standard capacitive stylus. This paper explores how magnets can be used to expand the design space of current pen interaction, and proposes a new technology to achieve such results.

Figure 1: Eight different holding gestures using Magnetic Marionette.The arm-shaped controller deforms when force is applied but returns to the normal state (i.e., left top) quickly. ABSTRACTIn this paper, we present the Magnetic Marionette, a magnetically driven elastic controller that enables tangible interaction on mobile devices. This technique can determine eight different gestures in excess of 99% accuracy by sensing and tracking the magnets embedded on the controller. The advantage of this technique is that it is lightweight, battery-free, and inexpensive because it uses a magnetometer, which is already embedded in smart phones today. This simple and noble technique allows users to achieve richer tactile feedback, expand their interaction area, and enhance expressiveness without the need for hardware modification.