Magnetic Plotter: A Macrotexture Design Method Using Magnetic Rubber Sheets

This paper presents a method for designing tactile macrotextures with magnetic rubber sheets. In the method, named "Magnetic Plotter", a desktop digital plotting machine combined with a tiny neodymium magnet writes fine magnetic patterns on the surface of the magnetic rubber sheets. This method enables users to design magnetic fields freely with inexpensive commercially available materials as if they are drawing pictures. Moreover, when the magnetic sheets are rubbed together, unique haptic stimuli are displayed on the fingers. The haptic stimuli can be changed by the magnetic patterns designed on the rubber sheets. We developed a prototype of the Magnetic Plotter and investigated the range of the generated haptic stimuli and the texture design possibilities.