Playing with Hapticlabs


2023

Team Project


With the support of Hapticlabs, I managed to get my hands on their development toolkit to prototype various haptic feedbacks and interactions.


Code-free haptics prototyping

Playing with Hapticlabs

2023

Team Project



With the support of Hapticlabs, I managed to get my hands on their development toolkit to prototype various haptic feedbacks and interactions.



Code-free haptics prototyping

Motivation

As global mortality due to indoor air pollution increases, there is a need for greater public awareness of indoor air purification.


Using the Hapticlabs toolkit, we wanted to prototype haptic feedback to improve people's comprehension and awareness of purification methods, specifically phytoremediation. Phytoremediation utilizes interactions between pollutants and pollutant-degrading microbes at plant roots to remove unseen harmful pollutants sustainably.


Due to challenges associated with conveying information about intangible pollutants and purification processes, we developed six haptic feedbacks of varying intensity, frequency, and duration to illustrate molecular pollutant-microbe interactions at varying pollution and airflow levels.


As global mortality due to indoor air pollution increases, there is a need for greater public awareness of indoor air purification.


Using the Hapticlabs toolkit, we wanted to prototype haptic feedback to improve people's comprehension and awareness of purification methods, specifically phytoremediation. Phytoremediation utilizes interactions between pollutants and pollutant-degrading microbes at plant roots to remove unseen harmful pollutants sustainably.


Due to challenges associated with conveying information about intangible pollutants and purification processes, we developed six haptic feedbacks of varying intensity, frequency, and duration to illustrate molecular pollutant-microbe interactions at varying pollution and airflow levels.


In my explorations, we looked into varying the pattern, frequency and intensity of the haptic pulses to create different 6 haptics feedbacks.

In my explorations, we looked into varying the pattern, frequency and intensity of the haptic pulses to create different 6 haptics feedbacks.

Firstly, each haptic pulse signifies some successful removal of VOCs from the environment through microbial interaction. The duration of each pulse, as illustrated by the thickness of the blue bar represents the average amount of time the molecules tend to interact with the microbes before being blown or dispersed away by wind.

  • For instance, the stronger the fan speed, the faster the VOC molecules move through the roots and the average time each VOC molecule stays near the roots and microbes would be shorter, hence the blue bars are thinner.  


Secondly, the intensity of each pulse is determined by the concentration of VOCs present in the environment, signaling more interactions between microbes and VOC molecules in environments with elevated concentrations.

  • Therefore, the height of the blue shade is higher when there is high pollution and lower when there is low pollution. We also hope that the stronger pulses would indirectly convey a sense of urgency when VOC levels are high and when users feel a stronger pulse.  


Lastly, the frequency at which pulses are felt reflects how often purification events occur, primarily influenced by fan speed as increased airflow directs more gases to interact with microbes.

  • The faster the fan speed, the more frequently the VOC molecules will be pushed through the roots, and the higher frequency of microbial interactions occurring, albeit for a shorter duration before they get pushed away by the wind.

  • When there is no fan, the microbial interactions are not influenced by any external wind or force, therefore the frequency of successful interactions becomes very random and irregular, affected largely by the environmental wind.  


Firstly, each haptic pulse signifies some successful removal of VOCs from the environment through microbial interaction. The duration of each pulse, as illustrated by the thickness of the blue bar represents the average amount of time the molecules tend to interact with the microbes before being blown or dispersed away by wind.

  • For instance, the stronger the fan speed, the faster the VOC molecules move through the roots and the average time each VOC molecule stays near the roots and microbes would be shorter, hence the blue bars are thinner.  


Secondly, the intensity of each pulse is determined by the concentration of VOCs present in the environment, signaling more interactions between microbes and VOC molecules in environments with elevated concentrations.

  • Therefore, the height of the blue shade is higher when there is high pollution and lower when there is low pollution. We also hope that the stronger pulses would indirectly convey a sense of urgency when VOC levels are high and when users feel a stronger pulse.  


Lastly, the frequency at which pulses are felt reflects how often purification events occur, primarily influenced by fan speed as increased airflow directs more gases to interact with microbes.

  • The faster the fan speed, the more frequently the VOC molecules will be pushed through the roots, and the higher frequency of microbial interactions occurring, albeit for a shorter duration before they get pushed away by the wind.

  • When there is no fan, the microbial interactions are not influenced by any external wind or force, therefore the frequency of successful interactions becomes very random and irregular, affected largely by the environmental wind.  


Special thanks

Hapticlabs for letting us try out their kit
Tanvi for doing this project with me!


Special thanks

Hapticlabs for letting us try out their kit
Tanvi for doing this project with me!