Pulp Friction

Abstract

Current haptic feedback techniques on handheld devices are applied to the finger pad or the palm of the user. These state-of-the-art approaches are coarse-grained and tend to be intrusive, rather than subtle. In contrast, we present a new feedback technique that applies stimuli around the periphery of the finger pulp, demonstrating how this can provide rich, nuanced haptic information. We use a reconfigurable haptic device employing a ferromagnetic marble for back-of-the device handheld use, which, for the first time, probes, without instrumenting the user, the periphery of the distal phalanx with localised stimulation. We present the design-space afforded by this new technique and evaluate the human-factors of finger-peripheral touch interaction in a controlled userstudy. We report results with marbles of different diameters, speeds and a combination of poking, lateral vibration and patterns; present the resulting design guidelines for fingerperiphery haptic feedback; and, illustrate its potential with use case scenarios. CCS CONCEPTS • Human-centered computing → Human computer interaction (HCI).

Active PinScreen: Exploring Spatio-Temporal Tactile Feedbackfor Multi-Finger Interaction

“…In particular, interaction modalities that are not focused solely around a touchscreen are experiencing a resurgence. Consider, for example, the renewed interest in haptic feedback, both on [13,23] and around 2 a mobile device.…”

“…That is, an interaction on-screen will lead to a tactile pulse to confirm an action, or a vibration will be generated to give a simple alert in cases when the user is not actively using the device. Even when feedback is more advanced, the sensation is typically either on a global scale (for example, a whole device vibrating to produce patterns linked to particular meanings [6]); or, nuanced and precise output, but directed to a single finger [13].…”