Type of Publication: Article in Collected Edition

HaptiX: Vibrotactile Haptic Feedback for Communication of 3D Directional Cues

Author(s):

Pascher, Max; Franzen, Til; Kronhardt, Kirill; Grünefeld, Uwe; Schneegass, Stefan; Gerken, Jens

Editor:

Acm

Title of Anthology:

Proceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Extended Abstract (CHI ’23)

Publication Date:

2023

Language:

English

Keywords:

directional cues; haptic feedback; vibrotactile feedback

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

doi:10.1145/3544549.3585601

Fulltext:

HaptiX: Vibrotactile Haptic Feedback for Communication of 3D Directional Cues (1.65 MB)

Link to complete version:

https://doi.org/10.1145/3544549.3585601

Citation:

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Abstract

In Human-Computer-Interaction, vibrotactile haptic feedback offers the advantage of being independent of any visual perception of the environment. Most importantly, the user's field of view is not obscured by user interface elements, and the visual sense is not unnecessarily strained. This is especially advantageous when the visual channel is already busy, or the visual sense is limited. We developed three design variants based on different vibrotactile illusions to communicate 3D directional cues. In particular, we explored two variants based on the vibrotactile illusion of the cutaneous rabbit and one based on apparent vibrotactile motion. To communicate gradient information, we combined these with pulse-based and intensity-based mapping. A subsequent study showed that the pulse-based variants based on the vibrotactile illusion of the cutaneous rabbit are suitable for communicating both directional and gradient characteristics. The results further show that a representation of 3D directions via vibrations can be effective and beneficial.