Tactile displays, design and evaluation

Fritschi M. Tactile displays, design and evaluation. Bielefeld: Universität Bielefeld; 2016.This thesis presents the design and development of several tactile displays, as well as their eventual integration into a framework of tactile and kinesthetic stimulation. As a basis for the design of novel devices, an extensive survey of existing actuator principles and existing realizations of tactile displays is complemented by neurobiological and psychophysical findings. The work is structured along three main goals: First, novel actuator concepts are explored whose performance can match the challenging capabilities of human tactile perception. Second, novel kinematic concepts for experimental platforms are investigated that target an almost unknown sub-modality of tactile perception: The perception of shear force. Third, a setup for integrated tactile-kinesthetic displays is realized, and a first study on the psychophysical correlation between the tactile and the kinesthetic portion of haptic information is conducted. The developed devices proved to exceed human tactile capabilities and have already been used to learn more about the human tactile sense

Exploring the use of brain-sensing technologies for natural interactions

Recent technical innovation in the field of Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) has increased the opportunity for including physical, brain-sensing devices as a part of our day-to-day lives. The potential for obtaining a time-correlated, direct, brain-based measure of a participant's mental activity is an alluring and important development for HCI researchers. In this work, we investigate the application of BCI hardware for answering HCI centred research questions, in turn, fusing the two disciplines to form an approach we name - Brain based Human-Computer Interaction (BHCI). We investigate the possibility of using BHCI to provide natural interaction - an ideal form of HCI, where communication between man-and-machine is indistinguishable from everyday forms of interactions such as Speaking and Gesturing. We present the development, execution and output of three user studies investigating the application of BHCI. We evaluate two technologies, fNIRS and EEG, and investigate their suitability for supporting BHCI based interactions. Through our initial studies, we identify that the lightweight and portable attributes of EEG make it preferable for use in developing natural interactions. Building upon this, we develop an EEG based cinematic experience exploring natural forms of interaction through the mind of the viewer. In studying the viewers response to this experience, we were able to develop a taxonomy of control based on how viewers discovered and exerted control over the experience

The Social and Behavioral Influences of Interactions with Virtual Dogs as Embodied Agents in Augmented and Virtual Reality

Intelligent virtual agents (IVAs) have been researched for years and recently many of these IVAs have become commercialized and widely used by many individuals as intelligent personal assistants. The majority of these IVAs are anthropomorphic, and many are developed to resemble real humans entirely. However, real humans do not interact only with other humans in the real world, and many benefit from interactions with non-human entities. A prime example is human interactions with animals, such as dogs. Humans and dogs share a historical bond that goes back thousands of years. In the past 30 years, there has been a great deal of research to understand the effects of human-dog interaction, with research findings pointing towards the physical, mental, and social benefits to humans when interacting with dogs. However, limitations such as allergies, stress on dogs, and hygiene issues restrict some needy individuals from receiving such benefits. More recently, advances in augmented and virtual reality technology provide opportunities for realizing virtual dogs and animals, allowing for their three-dimensional presence in the users\u27 real physical environment or while users are immersed in virtual worlds. In this dissertation, I utilize the findings from human-dog interaction research and conduct a systematic literature review on embodied IVAs to define a research scope to understand virtual dogs\u27 social and behavioral influences in augmented and virtual reality. I present the findings of this systematic literature review that informed the creation of the research scope and four human-subjects studies. Through these user studies, I found that virtual dogs bring about a sense of comfort and companionship for users in different contexts. In addition, their responsiveness plays an important role in enhancing users\u27 quality of experience, and they can be effectively utilized as attention guidance mechanisms and social priming stimuli

Exploring the use of brain-sensing technologies for natural interactions

Recent technical innovation in the field of Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) has increased the opportunity for including physical, brain-sensing devices as a part of our day-to-day lives. The potential for obtaining a time-correlated, direct, brain-based measure of a participant's mental activity is an alluring and important development for HCI researchers. In this work, we investigate the application of BCI hardware for answering HCI centred research questions, in turn, fusing the two disciplines to form an approach we name - Brain based Human-Computer Interaction (BHCI). We investigate the possibility of using BHCI to provide natural interaction - an ideal form of HCI, where communication between man-and-machine is indistinguishable from everyday forms of interactions such as Speaking and Gesturing. We present the development, execution and output of three user studies investigating the application of BHCI. We evaluate two technologies, fNIRS and EEG, and investigate their suitability for supporting BHCI based interactions. Through our initial studies, we identify that the lightweight and portable attributes of EEG make it preferable for use in developing natural interactions. Building upon this, we develop an EEG based cinematic experience exploring natural forms of interaction through the mind of the viewer. In studying the viewers response to this experience, we were able to develop a taxonomy of control based on how viewers discovered and exerted control over the experience