It’s computer data, so how in the world can we touch it? Researchers from the MIT Media Lab have figured out a way. The team has created a shape-changing interface that provides physical shapes to go along with digital data so that users can actually feel and manipulate it.
The project, called “Materiable” comprises various material properties as well by incorporating modal sensation techniques employed in haptics.
Their prototype uses physics algorithms which run on pin-based shape displays to create properties of deformable materials that can be comprehended visually and physically.
In the course of their experiments, the team let users identify three deformable material properties, flexibility, elasticity and viscosity, through direct touch with the shape display and its dynamic movements.
The researchers envision multiple applications for the technology. For example, consumers could one day be able to get a sense of just how firm or flexible a couch is before purchasing it online, a student could take in-depth look at concepts they’re learning, and designers could create 3D landscapes and simulations.
“We envision a future for shape changing interfaces where rendered materials can be recognized by their perceived material properties, directly manipulated and used in applications to enable rich new experiences with digital information,” the team writes in its research paper, “Materiable: Rendering Dynamic Material Properties in Response to Direct Physical Touch with Shape Changing Interfaces.”
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