This paper presents MagneDot, a novel method for making interactive magnetic shape displays through an integrated fabrication process. Magnetic soft materials can potentially create fast, responsive morphing structures for interactions. However, novice users and designers typically do not have access to sophisticated equipment and materials or cannot afford heavy labor to create interactive objects based on this material. Modified from an open-source 3D printer, the fabrication system of MagneDot integrates the processes of mold-making, pneumatic extrusion, magnetization, and actuation, using cost-effective materials only. By providing a design tool, MagneDot allows users to generate G-codes for fabricating and actuating displays of various morphing effects. Finally, a series of design examples demonstrate the possibilities of shape displays enabled by MagneDot.
https://doi.org/10.1145/3654777.3676427
This paper introduces a novel approach to interactive robots by leveraging the form-factor of cards to create thin robots equipped with vibrational capabilities for locomotion and haptic feedback. The system is composed of flat-shaped robots with on-device sensing and wireless control, which offer lightweight portability and scalability. This research introduces a hardware prototype to explore the possibility of ‘vibration-based omni-directional sliding locomotion’. Applications include augmented card playing, educational tools, and assistive technology, which showcase CARDinality’s versatility in tangible interaction.
https://doi.org/10.1145/3654777.3676421
In this paper, we present PortaChrome, a portable light source that can be attached to everyday objects to reprogram the color and texture of surfaces that come in contact with them. When PortaChrome makes contact with objects previously coated with photochromic dye, the UV and RGB LEDs inside PortaChrome create multi-color textures on the objects. In contrast to prior work, which used projectors for the color-change, PortaChrome has a thin and flexible form factor, which allows the color-change process to be integrated into everyday user interaction. Because of the close distance between the light source and the photochromic object, PortaChrome creates color textures in less than 4 minutes on average, which is 8 times faster than prior work. We demonstrate PortaChrome with four application examples, including data visualizations on textiles and dynamic designs on wearables.
https://doi.org/10.1145/3654777.3676458
Seamless integration of physical objects as interactive digital entities remains a challenge for spatial computing. This paper explores Augmented Object Intelligence (AOI) in the context of XR, an interaction paradigm that aims to blur the lines between digital and physical by equipping real-world objects with the ability to interact as if they were digital, where every object has the potential to serve as a portal to digital functionalities. Our approach utilizes real-time object segmentation and classification, combined with the power of Multimodal Large Language Models (MLLMs), to facilitate these interactions without the need for object pre-registration. We implement the AOI concept in the form of XR-Objects, an open-source prototype system that provides a platform for users to engage with their physical environment in contextually relevant ways using object-based context menus. This system enables analog objects to not only convey information but also to initiate digital actions, such as querying for details or executing tasks. Our contributions are threefold: (1) we define the AOI concept and detail its advantages over traditional AI assistants, (2) detail the XR-Objects system’s open-source design and implementation, and (3) show its versatility through various use cases and a user study.
https://doi.org/10.1145/3654777.3676379