Exploration of electrovibration for desktop computing

Abstract

In recent times, haptic feedback has gained significant importance in enhancing our interactions. Technologies like electrovibration have enabled the incorporation of tactile sensations, offering novel ways to enrich user experiences. By modulating friction between surfaces and fingertips, electrovibration can convincingly simulate textures and vibrations, reshaping how we engage with digital environments. This progress in surface haptics has found applications in various domains, even in everyday situations. For instance, imagine feeling a tactile response while adjusting the volume or making an online purchase with your smartphone’s touchscreen, experiences that may not be adequately served by visual feedback alone. This project aims to extend these advancements by exploring the integration of electrovibrating devices into specific areas related to desktop computers. While haptic feedback has been used with PC peripherals such as mice and keyboards, electrovibration has rarely been used in that context. Electrovibration offers unique advantages that set them apart from traditional haptic feedback mechanisms. More specifically, electrovibration can be applied to large surfaces of arbitrary shape and provides a more natural sensation when interacting with it. We started by thoroughly exploring design options for PC peripherals. Our brainstorming revealed various ways in which electrovibration could be used. Haptic sketches helped us refine these ideas. As a result, we chose three main surfaces to give users a tactile experience: the palm rest, mouse pad, and keyboard keys. Continuing from there, we then focused on crafting working prototypes to assess the ideas for the three surfaces mentioned. These prototypes combine hardware and software components. We created a signal generation system used across all the electrovibrating surfaces under investigation. Additionally, we devised a unique hardware prototype for each surface to integrate the electrovibration technology. The corresponding software architecture was then designed to work with the hardware, enabling us to control and activate the electrovibration surfaces as needed. Next, we outline the plan for user experiments on each surface. The goal is to determine whether participants can perceive electrovibration feedback accidentally, such as during tasks like typing or using a mouse, and deliberately by rubbing their palms and/or fingertips on the electrovibrating surfaces. Through this endeavor, several significant achievements have been realized. Firstly, three distinct and promising avenues for integrating electrovibration into PC peripherals were identified: the palm rest, mouse pad, and keyboard keys. Building upon these findings, functional prototypes were successfully developed, implementing electrovibration technology in each of these designated surfaces. Furthermore, a comprehensive experiment was planned, aiming to validate the effectiveness of these implementations and contribute to the field’s understanding of tactile interactions. As a result, this work has contributed by laying the foundation for enhancing user experiences through electrovibration in PC peripherals, offering three tangible prototypes that exemplify its potential applications. The next step involves executing the planned experiment to gather valuable insights and refine the utilization of electrovibration in these contexts.

Date	7 Nov 2023
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	École de technologie supérieure
Supervisor	Vincent Lévesque (Supervisor)