PUBLICATIONS

ABSTRACT

Improvements in Body Area Network (BAN) technical feasibility have encouraged research, which propose applications exploring data transferring touch interaction. In this work, we aim to provide tactile feedback for these applications to improve user experience. We propose Corona, a wearable tactile feedback device that uses electrostatic force to provide physical stimuli when a user touches objects that are electrically grounded, or of opposite polarity. Unlike previous approach, we neither physically actuate objects nor use any hand-worn tactile feedback devices. We introduce a mechanism to artificially build up electrostatic charge within the human body, and further leverage effects of electrostatic discharge to create novel physical stimuli. In this paper, we report underlying theory of operation as well as details of our prototype implementation. We illustrate our results using two applications: a) SandStorm: visualization of actuated force field using sand, and b) CheckMate: future vision of a touch-based transaction checkout system equipped with Corona to provide haptic sensation for more reassuring feedbacks.