PneuHaptic is a pneumatically-actuated arm-worn haptic interface. The system triggers a range of tactile sensations on the arm by alternately pressurizing and depressurizing a series of custom molded silicone chambers. We detail the implementation of our functional prototype and explore the possibilities for interaction enabled by the system.

1. Delivering Hap-c Cues with a Pneuma-c Armband
Liang He Cheng Xu Ding Xu Ryan Brill
PneuHap(c

2. Vibra&ng Motors
Kaaresoja et al. 2005
Electromagne&c Actuators
Bau et al. 2009
Mechanisms
Kuchenbecker et al. 2011
PneuHap(c

3. Instead of using actuator technology,
we look into SHAPE CHANGING ALTERNATIVES

4. Pneuma(cally Actuated Air Chamber
Silicone
Tubing
Casing

5. Forearm
Pump2Pump1
Valve1
supply
Valve2
supply
Valve3
vacuum
closedopen
closed
closedopen
open

6. Implementa(on

7. Implementa(on
Solenoid valvePump1 Pump2
Tubing Air Chamber
BaDery
Arduino & Bluetooth
BaDery

8. Velcro
ElasHc
band
PneuHap(c
on forearm

9. Interac(ons

10. Silicone
Case
~4s
~1s
Programmable infla:on/defla:on: VOCABULARY

11. TAPPING

12. HOLDING

13. TRACING

14. User Study

15. 3 male and 1 female
overall accuracy of 93%
two condiHons: walking and siQng
Errors
in ac:ve movements
Tracing
vs
Tapping
More versa:le
User Study

16. Discussion

17. Discussion
1. Miniature system: pump, valve, microprocessor…
2. Expanding touch vocabulary: more chambers, infla:on/defla:on
3. Sensing capabili&es: embedding sensors (e.g., pressure sensor)

18. Summary
A novel wearable hap(c interface by gently pressing on the skin using
compliant shape changing nodes
Interac(ons supported by dynamically controlling the infla:on and
defla:on of these air chambers
A preliminary user study demonstrates the effec:veness of our armband
Limita:ons

19. Thank YouLiang He
lianghe@cs.umd.edu
Cheng Xu
Ding Xu
Ryan Brill