SpiroSurface: A Repulsive and Attractive Force Display for Interactive Tabletops Using a Pneumatic System.

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Robotics
• Haptics

Background:

• Interactive tabletops offer rich potential for user engagement.
• Current tabletop interfaces often lack sophisticated tactile feedback mechanisms.
• Developing novel haptic feedback systems is crucial for advancing interactive surface technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce SpiroSurface, a novel pneumatic force display for interactive tabletops.
• To demonstrate SpiroSurface's capability to generate both attractive and repulsive forces.
• To explore new interaction paradigms enabled by this force display technology.

Main Methods:

• A prototype SpiroSurface display with a 5x5 grid of holes was developed.
• The system utilizes an air compressor and vacuum tanks controlled by electromagnetic valves.
• Latency was measured, showing a minimum of 50 ms for pressure output.

Main Results:

• The SpiroSurface display can generate significant forces, up to 74 N (positive) and -6 N (negative).
• The system achieves pressure outputs of +1.0 MPa and -0.08 MPa.
• Three novel interaction types were demonstrated: GUI enhancement, soft object deformation, and 3-DOF object rotation.

Conclusions:

• SpiroSurface enables intuitive tactile feedback and object manipulation on interactive tabletops.
• The technology allows for interactions without requiring users to attach devices or embed components in objects.
• This force display significantly expands the possibilities for interaction design in tabletop computing environments.