Mediate

Abstract

Recent Virtual Reality (VR) systems render highly immersive visual experiences, yet currently lack tactile feedback for feeling virtual objects with our hands and bodies. Shape Displays offer solid tangible interaction but have not been integrated with VR or have been restricted to desktop-scale workspaces. This work represents a fusion of mobile robotics, haptic props, and shape-display technology and commercial Virtual Reality to overcome these limitations. We present Mediate, a semi-autonomous mobile shape-display that locally renders 3D physical geometry co-located with room-sized virtual environments as a conceptual step towards large-scale tangible interaction in Virtual Reality. We compare this "dynamic just-in-time mockup" concept to other haptic paradigms and discuss future applications and interaction scenarios.