This paper introduces Glissade, a digital pen that generates balance shifting feedback by changing the weight distribution of the pen. A pulley system shifts a brass mass inside the pen to change the pen's center of mass and moment of inertia. When the mass is stationary, the pen delivers a constant yet natural sensation of weight, which can be used to convey a status. The pen can also generate a variety of haptic clues by actuating the mass according to the tilt or rotation of the pen, two commonly-used auxiliary pen input channels. Glissade demonstrates new possibilities that balance shifting feedback can bring to digital pen interactions. We validated the usability of this feedback by determining the recognizability of six balance patterns – a mix of static and dynamic patterns chosen based on our design considerations – in two controlled experiments. The results show that, on average, the participants could distinguish between the patterns with a 94.25% accuracy. At the end, we demonstrate a set of novel interactions enabled by Glissade and discuss the directions for future research.

We propose autocomplete for the design and development of virtual breadboard circuits using software prototyping tools. With our system, a user inserts a component into the virtual breadboard, and it automatically provides a user with a list of suggested components. These suggestions complete or ex- tend the electronic functionality of the inserted component to save the user's time and reduce circuit error. To demon- strate the effectiveness of autocomplete, we implemented our system on Fritzing, a popular open source breadboard circuit prototyping software, used by novice makers. Our autocomplete suggestions were implemented based upon schematics from datasheets for standard components, as well as how components are used together from over 4000 circuit projects from the Fritzing community. We report the results of a controlled study with 16 participants, evaluating the effectiveness of autocomplete in the creation of virtual breadboard circuits, and conclude by sharing insights and directions for future research.

We propose using a single slip tactile pixel on virtual reality controllers to produce sensations of finger sliding and textures. When a user moves the controller on a virtual surface, we add a slip opposite to the movement, creating an illusion of a finger that is sliding on the surface, while varying the slip feedback changes lateral forces on fingertip. When coupled with hand motion the lateral forces can be used to create perceptions of artificial textures. RollingStone has been implemented as a prototype VR controller consisting of a ball-based slip display positioned under the user's fingertip. Within the slip display, a pair of motors actuates the ball, which is capable of gener- ating both short- and long-term two-degree-of-freedom slip feedback. An exploratory study was conducted to ensure that changing the relative motion between the finger and the ball could alter the perceptions conveying the properties of a tex- ture. The following two perception-based studies examined the minimum changes in speed of slip and angle of slip that are detectable by users. The results help us to design haptic patterns as well as our prototype applications. Finally, our preliminary user evaluation indicated that participants wel- comed RollingStone as a useful addition to the range of VR controllers.