Haptic Mask
Tactile feedback on the face for immersive virtual reality
Overview
This project is based on our previous work (“SonarVision”), which was exhibited at the Digital Art Festival 2019, and aims to improve the wearable device and participation experience. We have redesigned and refined the previous interactive device and experience, evaluating the experience flow of the exhibition to identify problems through UX research. In addition, we have combined 3D scanning and a parametric design for the facial wearable device, proposing a fit, freely adjustable, and more convenient wearable device with VR-HMD. Furthermore, we have also designed a high-recognition vibration display to enhance the VR tactile enhancement experience.
Project Duration
6 months (Nov, 2020-Apr, 2021)
* Not include the experimental phase
Personal Project
Under the guidance of Chun Cheng Hsu
(cchsu@nycu.edu.tw)
Method &Tool
UX Research/Rhino/Grasshopper/3D Print/Unity/Arduino
Project Background
In 2019, I attended the Digital Art Festival together with my lab members to develop a series of interactive works called “Bio I/O”. We focused on the feelings conveyed through tactile sensations from different perspectives and explored whether a sense of haptics could bring us a different experience than before. Using a bionic design, we created “SonarVision”, a virtual reality experience involving a facial tactile feedback device.
Experience Flow
Participants hold a VR-HMD while wearing a vibration mask on their face, thus integrating the three senses of sight, sound, and haptics.
Experience Content
Experiencers take dolphins as the first angle of view, and they can swim freely in the underwater world and browse a variety of creatures. However, before different species appear on the VR screen, they will first feel the vibration signal on the mask. They can then observe the differences between visual and tactile signals, expanding other human senses to enhance the effect of participation in the experience.
✨ After the exhibition, we redefined the users’ needs and problems from the exhibition and experience process, redesigning and improving the interactive devices in the exhibition. We continue to use vibration as a tactile signal and are seeking to design various vibration patterns with recognizable differences.
Research Process
Four Clusters of Visitors
We divided the visitors into four clusters and conducted short interviews with two groups of visitors for each cluster.
Research Process
They were less concerned with the device's superficial features, like VR scenes or appearance, and more focused on the research purpose, logic, and future development. They also offered suggestions for technical improvements.
Friends
The focus was on the children's experience, with parents willing to try if they received positive feedback. Children cared more about the fun and excitement of the interaction than the technology or concept, showing greater interest in the experience itself.
Family
More couples experienced VR together, with one person using the VR headset while the other watched the screen and LED mask lights, guessing the scene and imagining the vibrations. Afterwards, they discussed and rated the experience more positively than other groups, though they showed less interest in the device.
Couple
Compared to the first two groups, this group was more objective, identifying areas for improvement and shortcomings in the experience. They criticised the device and compared it unfavourably to the product.
People with relevant backgrounds
User Interview
“I was confused about why it took me so long to adjust to a relaxed state with the device while holding the VR-HMD in one hand. However, the nature of the experience was exceptional since I did not expect the vibration to transmit signals.”
A pair of friends, aged 25, one in marketing and the other a product manager, have limited VR experience from casual gaming and are curious about interactive tech.
“In the VR, I swam farther away and no longer had fish, and other models penetrated some fish models. I hope to add some interactive games or surprising feedback to the VR content; alternatively, changing to a different atmosphere might also enhance the sense of tension. However, it’s a little unfortunate that children can’t wear a tactile device, but it was fun to experience VR for the first time.”
A pair of parents, both 35, with an 8-year-old, a teacher and a social worker, are new to VR but attend tech events for family bonding. The child is tech-enthusiastic.
“It is extraordinary to add vibration feedback to the experience context to produce visual and tactile sympathy, which is very different from the previous VR experience; the concept of the work is also distinctive.”
A couple, aged 28 and 30, a graphic designer and software engineer, occasionally use VR at home, with the man interested in tech details and the woman in visuals.
“The device's vibrating symbols may become another recognition system (like Braille for the blind) and can be used to create complete, uniform rules or applied to different media interfaces. Vibrating displays are no longer limited to an entertainment experience and can offer more possibilities for information transfer and communication.”
A design professional, aged 40, an industrial designer with human-computer interaction expertise, has extensive VR experience and offers improvement insights.
Visualise the emotional journey
I created a visual user journey, covering all the interactions during the process and mapping out the emotions involved. This made it clear where our users were running into issues and helped me pinpoint where I should concentrate on:
Find the device hard to put on, and it doesn’t fit well, and holding the VR-HMD limits my movement.
Unsure of the experience content.
Problem Definition
The device and vibration feedback was the basis of the experience. After summarizing the results and identifying the main problems, we redesigned the prototype to improve the overall experience.
High-Recognition Vibration Design
Wearable Device Design
Wearable Design
Putting on the haptic device and adjusting the HMD is incredibly easy and quick. In addition, users can freely adjust the position to make the experience of wearing it way more intuitive and convenient.
Material Study
We found that rigid material interfered with the motor vibrations, so we switched from flexible 3D printing material to soft silicone.
3D scanning
We used 3D scanning to capture the face and VR-HMD surface curvature.
Parametric design
We edited the surface in 3D software and used Grasshopper to calculate and adjust the coverage area, curvature, and motor positioning.
3D Printing
We used 3D printing to verify and revise the model, adjusting parameters for the proper face curvature and maximum coverage. We also ensured the assembly fit the VR-HMD perfectly.
Integrate with existing VR-HMD
Assembly steps:
1️⃣ Attach the assembly component to the VR-MMD. 2️⃣ Place the silicone pad on the mask shell. 3️⃣ Adjust the position to fit the user's face. 4️⃣ Adjust the four masks freely to fit the face shape.
“In this way, we can realize the compatibility of different users and ensure efficient wearing.”
VR & Vibration: Four Species under Water
Based on real situations in the natural environment and through brief interviews with users and suggestions from two design field experts, we have compiled four species that the public can understand. We constructed a VR space related to dolphins that contain relevant species that are compatible with the marine food chain, including dangerous species (natural enemies), staple foods, companions, and ornamental plants.
Companions
Natural Enemies
Ornamental Plants
Staple Foods
In designing the motor vibration mode, we referred to the typology and limitations of the vibration display in previous studies and applied the relevant lessons. Different vibration frequencies, numbers, modes, and vibration areas are linked to the four directions of the VR screen to form a variety of methods for matching the different kinds of information in the VR environment.
We use the distinguished frequencies of 200Hz, 120Hz, 80Hz, and 40Hz in the vibration mode. The number of multi-point vibrations is 1, 3, and 9 points, forming four types:
Large-area simultaneous vibration, linear vibration, single-point vibration, and radial vibration.
We controlled a continuous vibration process to five stimulation units, and the time interval of each stimulation was 100 (this is to avoid long-term tactile fatigue).
VR & Vibration: Motor Vibration
Vibration Frequency
Four Positions
Vibration mode
VR & Vibration: VR scenes
The following are the VR scenes of the four species under the sea and the matching vibration mode.
Natural Enemies
We have used a large area of nine simultaneous vibrations and the 200 Hz vibration frequency to form a large area of strong vibration feeling.
Staple Foods
A single-point multi-position sporadic vibration with a weak tactile sensation is used to simulate a school of small fish.
Companions
The concentric circle dispersion vibration (analogous to the first-person perspective) allows the user to experience similar species size and intermediate vibration intensity.
Ornamental Plants
The ornamental plants in the ocean are represented by left- and right-directional rows of vibrations with minimal vibration frequency.
Conclusion
💭 I was involved in this project from the initial idea of designing a first-generation prototype to participating in the exhibition and optimizing the second-generation device based on user experience. I proposed a fit, flexible, faster, and more convenient wearable design that provides more diverse vibration cues for different VR experience situations.
💭 The current study was a simple symbol, but if we can create a complete system of vibration symbols in the future (and learn the necessary lessons), we will be able to apply it to real situations or product interfaces. Furthermore, based on the vibration mode standard, we can enhance the diversity of vibration so that the vibration display is no longer limited to the entertainment experience but also provides more possibilities for information transmission and communication.
Moments
▪️Present the project at ICDF 2020 International Conference