184 research outputs found

    ForceTap: Extending the Input Vocabulary of Mobile Touch Screens by adding Tap Gestures

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    We introduce an interaction technique that increases the touch screen input vocabulary by distinguishing a strong tap from a gentle tap without the use of additional hardware. We have designed and validated an algorithm that detects different types of screen touches by combining data from the built-in accelerometer with position data from the touch screen. The proposed technique allows a touch screen input to contain not only the position of a finger contact, but also its type, i.e., whether the contact is a „Tap‟ or a „ForceTap.‟ To verify the feasibility of the proposed technique we have implemented our detection algorithm in experiments that test cases of single-handed, two-handed, immersive, and on the move usage. Based on the experimental results, we investigate the advantages of using two types of touch inputs and discuss emerging issues. Finally, we suggest a design guideline for applying the proposed technique to touch screen applications, and present possible application scenarios

    Force gestures

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    Force gestures are touch screen gestures augmented by the normal and tangential forces on the screen. In order to study the feasibility of the force gestures on a mobile touch screen, we implemented a prototype touch screen device that can sense the normal and tangential forces of a touch gesture on the screen. We also designed two example applications, a web browser and an e-book reader, that utilize the force gestures for their primary actions. We conducted a user study with the prototype and the applications to study the characteristics of the force gestures and the effectiveness of their mapping to the primary actions. In the user study we could also discover interesting usability issues and collect useful user feedback about the force gestures and their mapping to GUI actions

    Force gestures

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    Similar sliding gestures may have different meanings when they are performed with changing intensity. Touch screens, however, fail to properly distinguish those intensities due to their inability to sense variable pressures. Enabled by distinguishing normal and tangential forces, we explore new possibilities for gestures on a touch screen. We have implemented a pressure-sensitive prototype and have designed a set of gestures that utilize alterable forces. The gestures' feasibility has been tested through a simple experiment. Finally, we discuss the new possibility of touch interactions that are sensitive to pressure

    Typing on a Smartwatch for Smart Glasses

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    While smart glasses make information more accessible in mobile scenarios, entering text on these devices is still difficult. In this paper, we suggest using a smartwatch as an indirect input device for smart glasses text entry. With the watch-glasses combination, users do not need to lift the arm to touch the glasses nor need to carry a special external input device. To prove the feasibility of the suggested combination, we implemented two text entry methods: a modified version of SwipeBoard, which we adapted for the suggested combination, and HoldBoard, which we newly designed and implemented specifically for the suggested combination. We evaluated the performances of the two text entry methods through two user studies, and could show that they are faster than prior art for smart glasses text entry in a seated condition. A further study showed that they are competitive with the prior art also in a walking condition

    Thor's Hammer

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    We present a new handheld haptic device, Thor's Hammer, which uses propeller propulsion to generate ungrounded, 3-DOF force feedback. Thor's Hammer has six motors and propellers that generates strong thrusts of air without the need for physical grounding or heavy air compressors. With its location and orientation tracked by an optimal tracking system, the system can exert forces in arbitrary directions regardless of the device's orientation. Our technical evaluation shows that Thor's Hammer can apply up to 4 N of force in arbitrary directions with less than 0.11 N and 3.9° of average magnitude and orientation errors. We also present virtual reality applications that can benefit from the force feedback provided by Thor's Hammer. Using these applications, we conducted a preliminary user study and participants felt the experience more realistic and immersive with the force feedback

    ThickPad

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    We explored the use of a hover tracking touchpad in a laptop environment. In order to study the new experience, we implemented a prototype touchpad consisting of infrared LEDs and photo-transistors, which can track fingers as far as 10mm over the surface. We demonstrate here three major interaction techniques that would become possible when a hovertracking touchpad meets a laptop
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