FeetThrough: Electrotactile Foot Interface that Preserves Real-World Sensations (UIST23 Live Talk)

Live paper talk for "FeetThrough: Electrotactile Foot Interface that Preserves Real-World Sensations." This work was presented at the ACM UIST 2023 conference in San Francisco, US by Keigo Ushiyama. This work was done in collaboration with Pedro Lopes at the University of Chicago's Human Computer Integration Lab.
Abstract: Haptic interfaces have been extended to the feet to enhance foot- based activities, such as guidance while walking or stepping on virtual textures. However, most feet haptics use mechanical actuators, namely vibration motors, which are not the ideal actuators for all feet haptics. Instead, we demonstrate that electrotactile stimulation provides qualities that make it a more powerful feet-haptic interface: (1) Users wearing electrotactile can not only feel the stimulation but can also better feel the terrain under their feet-this is critical as our feet are also responsible for the balance on uneven terrains and stairs-electrotactile achieves this improved “feel-through” effect because it is thinner than vibrotactile actuators, at 0.1 mm in our prototype; (2) While a single vibrotactile actuator will also vibrate surrounding skin areas, we found improved two- point discrimination thresholds for electrotactile; (3) Electrotactile can be applied directly to soles, insoles or socks, enabling new haptic applications even if barefoot (e.g., Yoga pose guidance).
Find out more about FeetThrough: lab.plopes.org...