Yuqian Sun

PaCaPa is a device that can present a sense of collision when user hits virtual objects with a stick-based tool. The name, PaCaPa, is an acronym of Prop that Alters Contact Angle on PAlm and comes from the Japanese sound expression that occurs when device's wings open and close: "pacapaca".

PaCaPa has two wings and they open and close as stick-based tool bites into virtual objects. By this, PaCaPa can tell the gap angle between real hand direction and virtual tool and at the same time, give pressure on user's palm.

Abstract

We present PaCaPa, a handheld device that renders haptic feedback to a user's palm when the user interacts with virtual objects using virtual tools such as a stick. PaCaPa is a cuboid-shaped handheld device with two wings that open and close. As the user's virtual stick makes contact with a virtual object, the wings open by a specific angle to dynamically change the pressure on the palm and fingers. The open angle of the wings is calculated from the angle between the virtual stick and hand direction. As the stick bites into the target object, a corresponding feedback force is generated. Our device enables three kinds of renderings: size, shape, and stiffness. We conducted user studies to evaluate the performance of our device. We also evaluated our device in two application scenarios. User feedback and qualitative ratings indicated that our device can make indirect interaction with handheld tools more realistic.

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Exhibitions