InflatableBots: Inflatable Shape-Changing Mobile Robots for Large-Scale Encountered-Type Haptics in VR

Ryota Gomi, Ryo Suzuki, Kazuki Takashima, Kazuyuki Fujita, Yoshifumi Kitamura  

The ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2024)

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Abstract

We introduce InflatableBots, shape-changing inflatable robots for large-scale encountered-type haptics in VR. Unlike traditional inflat- able shape displays, which are immobile and limited in interaction areas, our approach combines mobile robots with fan-based inflat- able structures. This enables safe, scalable, and deployable haptic interactions on a large scale. We developed three coordinated inflat- able mobile robots, each of which consists of an omni-directional mobile base and a reel-based inflatable structure. The robot can simultaneously change its height and position rapidly (horizontal: 58.5 cm/sec, vertical: 10.4 cm/sec, from 40 cm to 200 cm), which allows for quick and dynamic haptic rendering of multiple touch points to simulate various body-scale objects and surfaces in real- time across large spaces (3.5 m x 2.5 m). We evaluated our system with a user study (N = 12), which confirms the unique advantages in safety, deployability, and large-scale interactability to significantly improve realism in VR experiences.

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