Building from our previous work we explore HandiMate, a robotics kit which enables users to construct and animate their toys using everyday craft materials [32]. The kit contains eight joint modules, a tablet interface and a glove controller. Unlike popular kits, HandiMate does not rely on manufactured parts to construct the toy. Rather this open ended platform engages users to pursue interest driven activities using everyday objects, such as cardboard, construction paper, and spoons. These crafted parts are then fastened together using Velcro to the joint modules and animated using the glove as the controller. In this paper, we discuss the results from two user studies which were designed to understand the affinity of HandiMate among children. The first study reveals that children rated the HandiMate kit as gender-neutral, appealing equally to both female and male students. The second study discusses the benefits of engaging children in engineering design with HandiMate, which has been observed to bring out children's tacit physics-based engineering knowledge and facilitate learning.

We present SOFTii, a flexible input system for topography design and continuous control via external force. Our intent is to provide a tactile metaphor for pressure-based surface input. In this study, two prototypes of SOFTii have been fabricated: (a) The first prototype has one pressure surface for topography design with everyday tangible objects, (b) the second prototype, having two force input surfaces, performs as a deformable controller for video games and continuous shape modeling using a SVM algorithm. Both prototypes of SOFTii are constructed by layering Polymethylsiloxane (PDMS), ITO coated PET film, and conductive fabric and foam. The layer configuration allows the capturing of local pressure on the SOFTii surface via distributed electrodes. Here we further discuss the implementation of the device with possible usage scenarios.

The combination of technological progress and a growing interest in design has promoted the prevalence of DIY (Do It Yourself) and craft activities. We introduce HandiMate, a platform that makes it easier for people without technical expertise to fabricate and animate electro-mechanical systems from everyday objects. Our goal is to encourage creativity, expressiveness and playfulness. The user can assemble his or her hand crafted creations with HandiMate--s joint modules and animate them via gestures. The joint modules are packaged with an actuator, a wireless communication device and a micro-controller. This modularization makes quick electro-mechanical prototyping just a matter of pressing together velcro. Animating these constructions is made intuitive and simple by a glove-based gestural controller. Our study conducted with children and adults demonstrates a high level of usability (system usability score 79.9). It also indicates that creative ideas emerge and are realized in a constructive and iterative manner in less than 90 minutes. This paper describes the design goals, framework, interaction methods, sample creations and evaluations methods.

We introduce ChiroBot, a cyberphysical construction kit that allows users to create custom robots out of craft material, easily assemble the robots using joint modules and control them using hand gestures. These handcrafted robots are assembled using our modules packaged with actuator, wireless communication and controller electronics. These modules eliminate the need for expertise in electronics and enable a plug and play system that directly encourages users to explore by quick prototyping. We designed a glove embedded with sensors to enable the user to control the robots using hand gestures. We present different usage scenarios to demonstrate the system's versatility such as vehicular robot, humanoid puppet, robotic arm, and other combinations. This paper describes the ChiroBot system, interaction methods, few sample creations, and proposes possible "play value".

We present BendID, a bendable input device that recognizes the location, magnitude and direction of its deformation. We use BendID to provide users with a tactile metaphor for pressure based input. The device is constructed by layering an array of indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated PET film electrodes on a Polymethylsiloxane (PDMS) sheet, which is sandwiched between conductive foams. The pressure values that are interpreted from the ITO electrodes are classified using a Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm via the Weka library to identify the direction and location of bending. A polynomial regression model is also employed to estimate the overall magnitude of the pressure from the device. A model then maps these variables to a GUI to perform tasks. In this preliminary paper, we demonstrate this device by implementing it as an interface for 3D shape bending and a game controller.