UC San Diego

Augmented reality (AR) supplements the real environment with virtual objects, offering an immersive mode of interaction with potential for impact in a variety of applications. Recent advancements have included the ability to use ones phone as an AR display, which opens the possibility of more wide-spread adoption. Despite improvements in tracking and image processing, mobile augmented reality remains limited in its interactions, largely relying on button presses on a screen. To improve the immersiveness of AR environments and the richness of interactions, we propose a portable shape display and associated Unity App that enables users to feel the virtual objects being rendered on their phones. The device consists of a 3 x 3 array of pins, covered with a layer of soft foam to help make surfaces feel more continuous. A user study is performed to evaluate the effect of important design parameters on the degree to which interactions with various objects are perceived as realistic. Based on the results of this initial study, a final device is fabricated and tested in a second user study aimed at determining the effectiveness of the device at conveying shape information. Without visual feedback, participants correctly identified a set of four shapes with 42.86% accuracy, demonstrating the potential of the device to be used in conjunction with AR apps, including for education and design.