Invited Talk with Yudai Tanaka
Speaker
Yudai Tanaka
PhD student in the Department of Computer Science at University of Chicago
When
-
Where
407 S Craig Street, 2nd floor
Video
Panopto
Description
"Intercepting User’s Brain and Nervous System: A New Paradigm for Haptic Output"
When outputting information to our senses, almost all wearable interfaces follow the same principle: externally generating stimuli (e.g., lights, sounds, vibrations) and then presenting them via devices placed at the endpoints of our sensory system, such as head-mounted displays in front of the eyes and vibration motors on the skin. While this intuitive approach of stimulating the endpoints might be sufficient for audiovisual interfaces, I argue that when it comes to engaging the sense of touch (i.e., haptics), it will fail to support a wide variety of interactive experiences. Even a single haptic device on the hand will obstruct users from touching or grabbing objects in the real world, making it undesirable for mixed reality. Let alone scaling this approach to a larger portion of the body, which would restrict the user’s whole body.
My research introduces an alternative approach to haptic output: instead of stimulating endpoints with external stimuli, I explore interactive devices that “internally” send electrical signals to the nervous system — intercepting the user’s nervous system. My approach creates haptic sensations beyond the point where the device is worn, establishing a basis for enabling haptic feedback while keeping the user’s body free, and scaling haptic interfaces to work for the entire body. In this talk, I will detail: (1) how intercepting the nerves can provide touch (CHI’23) and force (CHI’22) feedback without obstructing the user’s body with actuators; (2) how this approach can integrate into practical wearable devices such as a smartwatch (UIST’24); and (3) its potential to eventually generalize to a full-body interface by intercepting the user’s brain (CHI’24).
Speaker's Bio
Yudai Tanaka is a PhD student in the Department of Computer Science at University of Chicago advised by Prof. Pedro Lopes. In his research, Yudai explores computer interfaces that output sensory feedback by intercepting the user’s brain or nervous system. These interfaces free up the user’s body from hardware in touch interactions; or even envision a new form of interactive experiences by presenting sensations directly to the brain. Yudai has published work at top Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) conferences including ACM CHI & UIST, with Best Paper Award (CHI’23), Best Paper Honorable Mention (CHI’24), and Best Demo Award (CHI’22).
Host
Alexandra Ion