Pneumatibles: Exploring Soft Robotic Actuators for the Design of User Interfaces with Pneumotactile Feedback

Abstract

This work explores an emerging category of interfaces: pneumatibles -- interactive, pneumatically driven actuator/sensor elements, made from pliable materials and inspired by soft-robotics principles -- and their potential for the design of tangible interfaces with integrated pneumotactile feedback. We present a novel pneumatic control-system, specifically designed for pneumotactile applications and a case study of a pneumatically actuated, pressure sensitive button pneumatible capable of providing tactile feedback. Our work further contributes to a better understanding of the underlying technical parameters (i.e. air-pressure, material properties, dimensions, actuation-sequences, etc.) that determine the design space of soft and pliable actuators for providing distinct tactile stimuli and enabling expressive control. We provide insights learned from the process of constructing and controlling pneumotactile actuators and present a preliminary user study, focused on participants' ability to identify pneumotactile feedback patterns. Finally, implications for the design of pneumotactile interfaces and the transfer of principles from soft-robotics to HCI are discussed.