Existing assistive technologies (AT) often adopt a one-size-fits-all approach, overlooking the diverse needs of people with visual impairments (PVI). Do-it-yourself AT (DIY-AT) toolkits offer one path toward customization, but most remain limited—targeting co-design with engineers or requiring programming expertise. Non-professionals with disabilities, including PVI, also face barriers such as inaccessible tools, lack of confidence, and insufficient technical knowledge. These gaps highlight the need for prototyping technologies that enable PVI to directly make their own AT. Building on emerging evidence that large language models (LLMs) can serve not only as visual aids but also as co-design partners, we present an exploratory study of how LLM-based AI can support PVI in the tangible DIY-AT co-making process. Our findings surface key challenges and design opportunities: the need for greater spatial and visual support, strategies for mitigating novel AI errors, and implications for designing more accessible AI-assisted prototypes.

We present AgentCoach, an LLM-powered system that provides adaptive feedback for motor skill learning from tutorial videos. The system works by extracting key coaching points (CPs) and compiling CP-specific evaluators that map each cue to measurable kinematic parameters. This process allows AgentCoach to connect high-level semantic meaning with low-level postural estimation for accurate, context-aware evaluation. During practice, learners receive concise visual diagnostics of their mistakes paired with prescriptive verbal feedback that adapts based on their performance history. We technically validate the CP extraction and evaluator compilation across a wide range of common sports and exercise videos. A user study confirms the system’s usability and shows the system’s potential effectiveness of its adaptive feedback across multiple skills.

We present FluxLab, a system comprising interactive tools for creating custom 3D-printable shape-changing devices with integrated deformation sensing. To achieve this, we propose a 3D printable nesting structure, consisting of a central SMA channel for sensing and actuation, lattice-based padding in the middle for structural support and controllable elasticity, and parallel helix-based surface wires that preserve the overall form and provide anchoring struts for guided deformation. We developed a design editor to embed these structures into custom 3D models for printing with elastic silicone resin on a consumer-grade SLA 3D printer and minimal post-printing assembly. A deformation authoring tool was also developed for users to build a machine learning-based classifier that distinguishes desired deformation behaviors using inductive sensing. Finally, we demonstrate the potential of our system through example applications, including a self-deformable steamer bowl clip, a remotely controllable gripper, and an interactive desk lamp.

We demonstrate PufFab, an interactive design-to-fabrication pipeline that enables customizable edible shape transformation using Vietnamese rice paper. The pipeline combines a user interface with a modified 3D printer to allow users to customize and fabricate 2D patterns that transform into 3D structures when fried. Users can modify rice paper through two distinct manipulation techniques: moistening, which locally softens and flattens the material—resulting in reduced expansion and controlled shrinkage during frying—and cutting, which introduces appearance differences and structural discontinuities that cause the paper to curve or deform along edges. When fried, the rice paper morphs according to the pattern because of its unique material response to heat and hydration. Our preliminary work explores an accessible and culturally grounded approach to human-food interaction and demonstrates new possibilities for customizable computational gastronomy, playful edible interaction, and artistic food transformation.

Figure 1: With A11yShape, (A) a blind or low-vision (BLV) user can create, interpret, and verify 3-D models through (B) a user interface composed of three parts: Code Editor Panel, AI Assistant Panel, and Model Panel.These panels are linked by a cross-representation highlighting mechanism that connects code, textual descriptions, hierarchical model abstractions, and 3-D visual renderings.The system supports the creation of (C) diverse, customized 3-D models created by BLV users.

Tactile surface indicators (TSIs) provide ground-based tactile cues to help pedestrians who are blind or low-vision safely and independently navigate different environments. For example, TSIs can serve as warnings for hazards (e.g., edge of a subway platforms) and directional guides (e.g., a route through a mall). In this exploratory work, we examine how digital fabrication technologies such as 3D printing, CNC milling, vacuum forming, and heat transfer melting can enable the production of custom TSIs. To compare different fabrication approaches, we designed and evaluated a series of prototypes with varied surface materials and design features (e.g., bump height). We then solicited feedback on our ideas and fabricated TSIS via two initial qualitative evaluations: one with a blind cane user and another with an Orientation and Mobility (O&M) specialist. Our initial findings demonstrate that digital fabrication processes—primarily 3D printing and CNC milling—can produce salient and useful TSIs, and indicate interest in our approach and how highly customized, rapidly fabricable TSIs could support navigation in reconfigurable indoor spaces.

3D printing is transforming how we customize and create physical objects in engineering, accessibility, and art. However, this technology is still primarily limited to confined working areas and dedicated print beds, thereby detaching design and fabrication from real-world environments and making measuring and scaling objects tedious and labor-intensive. In this paper, we present MobiPrint, a prototype mobile fabrication system that combines elements from robotics, architecture, and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) to enable environment-scale design and fabrication in ad-hoc indoor environments. MobiPrint provides a multi-stage fabrication pipeline: first, the robotic 3D printer automatically scans and maps an indoor space; second, a custom design tool converts the map into an interactive CAD canvas for editing and placing models in the physical world; finally, the MobiPrint robot prints the object directly on the ground at the defined location. Through a “proof-by-demonstration” validation, we highlight our system’s potential across different applications, including accessibility, home furnishing, floor signage, and art. We also conduct a technical evaluation to assess MobiPrint’s localization accuracy, ground surface adhesion, payload capacity, and mapping speed. We close with a discussion of open challenges and opportunities for the future of contextualized mobile fabrication.

In the realm of dementia care-giving within India, the caregivers often resemble hidden patients, bearing the weight of an often-overlooked role. However, there remains a dearth of comprehensive data regarding the emotional and physical challenges caregivers face in the Indian subcontinent. We present a qualitative study that delves into the realities of being a dementia caregiver in India, investigating caregivers’ experiences and examining the impact of several challenges on their daily lives. Through in-depth interviews, we engaged with four primary caregivers of individuals with dementia, delving into how care-giving shapes their social interactions, mental equilibrium, and emotional states. The findings highlight the importance of having an emotional outlet, a support system, and accessible resources for enhancing caregivers’ quality of life. Drawing from these insights, we propose a set of design implications that can guide future endeavors focused on enhancing the overall well-being of dementia caregivers in India. This research effectively bridges a substantial knowledge gap, extending support and understanding to this vital cohort of individuals who stand at the forefront of dementia care.

We present a pipeline for printing interactive and always-on magnetophoretic displays using affordable Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printers. Using our pipeline, an end-user can convert the surface of a 3D shape into a matrix of voxels. The generated model can be sent to an FDM 3D printer equipped with an additional syringe-based injector. During the printing process, an oil and iron powder-based liquid mixture is injected into each voxel cell, allowing the appearance of the once-printed object to be editable with external magnetic sources. To achieve this, we made modifications to the 3D printer hardware and the firmware. We also developed a 3D editor to prepare printable models. We demonstrate our pipeline with a variety of examples, including a printed Stanford bunny with customizable appearances, a small espresso mug that can be used as a post-it note surface, a board game figurine with a computationally updated display, and a collection of flexible wearable accessories with editable visuals.

This paper presents FlexHaptics, a design method for creating custom haptic input interfaces. Our approach leverages planar compliant structures whose force-deformation relationship can be altered by adjusting the geometries. Embedded with such structures, a FlexHaptics module exerts a fine-tunable haptic effect (i.e., resistance, detent, or bounce) along a movement path (i.e., linear, rotary, or ortho-planar). These modules can work separately or combine into an interface with complex movement paths and haptic effects. To enable the parametric design of FlexHaptic modules, we provide a design editor that converts user-specified haptic properties into underlying mechanical structures of haptic modules. We validate our approach and demonstrate the potential of FlexHaptic modules through six application examples, including a slider control for a painting application and a piano keyboard interface on touchscreens, a tactile low vision timer, VR game controllers, and a compound input device of a joystick and a two-step button.

We present Kinergy—an interactive design tool for creating self-propelled motion by harnessing the energy stored in 3D printable springs. To produce controllable output motions, we introduce 3D printable kinetic units, a set of parameterizable designs that encapsulate 3D printable springs, compliant locks, and transmission mechanisms for three non-periodic motions—instant translation, instant rotation, continuous translation—and four periodic motions—continuous rotation, reciprocation, oscillation, intermittent rotation. Kinergy allows the user to create motion-enabled 3D models by embedding kinetic units, customize output motion characteristics by parameterizing embedded springs and kinematic elements, control energy by operating the specialized lock, and preview the resulting motion in an interactive environment. We demonstrate the potential of our techniques via example applications from spring-loaded cars to kinetic sculptures and close with a discussion of key challenges such as geometric constraints.

We present HulaMove, a novel interaction technique that leverages the movement of the waist as a new eyes-free and hands-free input method for both the physical world and the virtual world. We first conducted a user study (N=12) to understand users’ ability to control their waist. We found that users could easily discriminate eight shifting directions and two rotating orientations, and quickly confirm actions by returning to the original position (quick return). We developed a design space with eight gestures for waist interaction based on the results and implemented an IMU-based real-time system. Using a hierarchical machine learning model, our system could recognize waist gestures at an accuracy of 97.5%. Finally, we conducted a second user study (N=12) for usability testing in both real-world scenarios and virtual reality settings. Our usability study indicated that HulaMove significantly reduced interaction time by 41.8% compared to a touch screen method, and greatly improved users’ sense of presence in the virtual world. This novel technique provides an additional input method when users’ eyes or hands are busy, accelerates users’ daily operations, and augments their immersive experience in the virtual world.

Blind and visually impaired (BVI) individuals are increasingly creating visual content online; however, there is a lack of tools that allow these individuals to modify the visual attributes of the content and verify the validity of those modifications. In this poster paper, we discuss the design and preliminary exploration of a multi-modal and accessible approach for BVI developers to edit visual layouts of webpages while maintaining visual aesthetics.

We present Ondulé-an interactive design tool that allows novices to create parameterizable deformation behaviors in 3D-printable models using helical springs and embedded joints. Informed by spring theory and our empirical mechanical experiments, we introduce spring and joint-based design techniques that support a range of parameterizable deformation behaviors, including compress, extend, twist, bend, and various combinations. To enable users to design and add these deformations to their models, we introduce a custom design tool for Rhino. Here, users can convert selected geometries into springs, customize spring stiffness, and parameterize their design with mechanical constraints for desired behaviors. To demonstrate the feasibility of our approach and the breadth of new designs that it enables, we showcase a set of example 3D-printed applications from launching rocket toys to tangible storytelling props. We conclude with a discussion of key challenges and open research questions.

Tactile overlays with audio annotations can increase the accessibility of touchscreens for blind users; however, preparing these overlays is complex and labor intensive. We introduce TacTILE, a novel toolchain to more easily create tactile overlays with audio annotations for arbitrary touchscreen graphics (e.g., graphs, pictures, maps). The workflow includes: (i) an annotation tool to add audio to graphical elements, (ii) a fabrication process that generates 3D-printed tactile overlays, and (iii) a custom app for the user to explore graphics with these overlays. We close with a pilot study with one blind participant who explores three examples (floor plan, photo, and chart), and a discussion of future work.

Wearable construction toolkits have shown promise in broadening participation in computing and empowering users to create personally meaningful computational designs. However, these kits present a high barrier of entry for some users, particularly young children (K-6). In this paper, we introduce MakerWear, a new wearable construction kit for children that uses a tangible, modular approach to wearable creation. We describe our participatory design process, the iterative development of MakerWear, and results from single- and multi-session workshops with 32 children (ages 5-12; M=8.3 years). Our findings reveal how children engage in wearable design, what they make (and want to make), and what challenges they face. As a secondary analysis, we also explore age-related differences.

We present SqueezaPulse, a technique for embedding interactivity into fabricated objects using soft, passive, low-cost bellow-like structures. When a soft cavity is squeezed, air pulses travel along a flexible pipe and into a uniquely designed corrugated tube that shapes the airflow into predictable sound signatures. A microphone captures and identifies these air pulses enabling interactivity. We describe the underlying acoustic theory used to inform our design, an informal examination of the effect of different 3D-printed corrugations on air signatures, and our resulting SqueezaPulse implementation. To demonstrate and evaluate the potential of SqueezaPulse, we present four prototype applications and a small, lab-based user study (N=9). Our evaluations show that our approach is accurate across users and robust to external noise. We conclude with a discussion of limitations and future work.

The Penan people of Malaysian Borneo were traditionally nomads of the rainforest. They would leave messages in the jungle for each other by shaping natural objects into language tokens and arranging these symbols in specific ways -- much like words in a sentence. With settlement, the language is being lost as it is not being used by the younger generation. We report here, a tangible system designed to help the Penan preserve their unique object writing language. The key features of the system are that: its tangibles are made of real objects; it works in the wild; and new tangibles can be fabricated and added to the system by the users. Our evaluations show that the system is engaging and encourages intergenerational knowledge transfer and thus has the potential to help preserve this language.

With the use of several tablet devices and a shared large display, CozyMaps is a multi-display system that supports real-time collocated collaboration on a shared map. This paper builds on existing works and introduces rich user interactions by proposing awareness, notification, and view sharing techniques, to enable seamless information sharing and integration in map-based applications. Based on our exploratory study, we demonstrated that participants are satisfied with these new proposed interactions. We found that view sharing techniques should be location-focused rather than user-focused. Our results provide implications for the design of interactive techniques in collaborative multi-display map systems.

In this paper, we introduce the design and implementation of TempoString, an easy-to-use tool which assists children with music creation. It provides such a fun and novel platform by allowing children to "draw" music on a canvas and then edit it using a rope. The main contribution of our work is the novel access which allows children to "paint" music on a canvas and then edit using a rope.