Virtual worlds are developing rapidly over the internet. They are visited by avatars and staffed with Embodied Conversational Agents (ECAs). An avatar is a representation of a physical person. Each person controls one or several avatars and usually receives feedback from the virtual world on an audio-visual display. Ideally, all senses should be used to feel fully embedded in a virtual world. S...

It is crucial for the users to touch, grasp and manipulate the interested objects through our sense of touch in many interactive applications, such as on-line computer games, interactive cartoon design, and virtual prototyping. In this paper, we propose an interactive haptic deformation approach which incorporates the dynamic simulation of mass–spring systems and flexible control of free-form d...

Based on a distributed architecture for real-time collection and broadcast of haptic information to multiple participants, heterogeneous haptic devices (the PHANToM and the CyberGrasp) were used in an experiment to test the performance accuracy and sense of presence of participants engaged in a task involving mutual touch. In the experiment, the hands of CyberGrasp users were modeled for the co...

Based on a distributed architecture for real-time collection and broadcast of haptic information to multiple participants, heterogeneous haptic devices (the PHANToM and the CyberGrasp) were used in an experiment to test the performance accuracy and sense of presence of participants engaged in a task involving mutual touch. In the experiment, the hands of CyberGrasp users were modeled for the co...

Back of device touch screen capable game systems have been commercially available since the release of the Playstation Vita in 2012, however the use of these touch screens in games has been limited. With the release of the touch screen lacking Playstation Vita TV, it seemed as though the use of the second touch screen would become even less common as developers produce games with features commo...

This issue showcases a selection of feature articles that all have in common a strong emphasis on using computing environments to improve the human experience. A key element in these works is adding touch to visual representations, which has long been established as necessary for improving human-computer interaction. Multisensory feedback in particular is a crucial component toward achieving tr...

We argue that touch-based gestures on touchscreen devices enable the threat of a form of persistent and ubiquitous tracking which we call touch-based tracking. Touch-based tracking goes beyond the tracking of virtual identities and has the potential for cross-device tracking as well as identifying multiple users using the same device. We demonstrate the likelihood of touchbased tracking by focu...

The objective of this paper is to present a graphical-user-interface (GUI) in support of a decision support system (KASER) for machine understanding. In order to provide information between the user and the KASER during the learning process, the approach is to combine information science and cognitive science in the form of several virtual and physical multimedia screens (e.g., a whiteboard run...

Tactile sensors and electrotactile stimulators can provide important links between humans and virtual environments, through the sensation of touch. Soft materials, such as low modulus silicones, are attractive as platforms and support matrices for arrays sensors and actuators that laminate directly onto the fingertips. Analytic models for the mechanics of three dimensional, form-fitting finger ...