1,672 research outputs found
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Exploration of mid-air haptics experience design
Ultrasonic Mid-air Haptics (UMH) is a novel technology that uses the mechanical properties of sound waves to create a pressure point in mid-air. This pressure point, called focal point, can slightly bend the skin and be felt in mid-air without any attachment to the body. This thesis focuses on both studying how to integrate this technology with other senses (i.e. vision and audition) and exploring the range of tactile sensations it can provide.
The first two projects presented in this document present the integration of ultrasonic mid-air haptics with audio-visual content. The first project describes the process of creating a unique haptic experience that was part of a six-weeks multisensory exhibition in a museum. The second project moved from the museum to a controlled environment and explored the creation of haptic experiences based on physiologic measurements for six short films. Both studies showed the positive value of adding ultrasonic mid-air haptics to traditional media through higher reported arousal and participants’ high enthusiasm for multisensory content.
In the two latter projects of this thesis, it was explored how we could extend the range of possible tactile sensations provided by UMHs. We introduced a new technique called Spatio-Temporal Modulation (STM). It enabled the creation of brand-new tactile experiences, including more salient shapes and wider range of textures. We also provided some guidelines on how to control some of the tactile properties of the sensation, including strength,roughness,or regularity.
The findings of those four projects contribute to the growing body of knowledge of UMHs. A summary of the key contributions is provided at the end of the thesis as well as several leads for future works
A Virtual Reality Application of the Rubber Hand Illusion Induced by Ultrasonic Mid-Air Haptic Stimulation
Ultrasonic mid-air haptic technologies, which provide haptic feedback through airwaves produced using ultrasound, could be employed to investigate the sense of body ownership and immersion in virtual reality (VR) by inducing the virtual hand illusion (VHI). Ultrasonic mid-air haptic perception has solely been investigated for glabrous (hairless) skin, which has higher tactile sensitivity than hairy skin. In contrast, the VHI paradigm typically targets hairy skin without comparisons to glabrous skin. The aim of this article was to investigate illusory body ownership, the applicability of ultrasonic mid-air haptics, and perceived immersion in VR using the VHI. Fifty participants viewed a virtual hand being stroked by a feather synchronously and asynchronously with the ultrasonic stimulation applied to the glabrous skin on the palmar surface and the hairy skin on the dorsal surface of their hands. Questionnaire responses revealed that synchronous stimulation induced a stronger VHI than asynchronous stimulation. In synchronous conditions, the VHI was stronger for palmar stimulation than dorsal stimulation. The ultrasonic stimulation was also perceived as more intense on the palmar surface compared to the dorsal surface. Perceived immersion was not related to illusory body ownership per se but was enhanced by the provision of synchronous stimulation
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Integrating mid-air haptics into movie experiences
`Seeing is believing, but feeling is the truth''. This idiom from the seventeenth century English clergyman Thomas Fuller gains new momentum in light of an increased proliferation of haptic technologies that allow people to have various kinds of `touch' and `touchless' interactions. Here, we report on the process of creating and integrating touchless feedback (i.e. mid-air haptic stimuli) into short movie experiences (i.e. one-minute movie format). Based on a systematic evaluation of user's experiences of those haptically enhanced movies, we show evidence for the positive effect of haptic feedback during the first viewing experience, but also for a repeated viewing after two weeks. This opens up a promising design space for content creators and researchers interested in sensory augmentation of audiovisual content. We discuss our findings and the use of mid-air haptics technologies with respect to its effect on users' emotions, changes in the viewing experience over time, and the effects of synchronisation
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