Here, we propose that the use of unusual crossed-sense-modality couplings can be exploited to engineer non-realistic but potentially beneficial VEs providing high degrees of interaction and presence, and provide new avenues for enhancing the experience and utility of single- and multi-user VE technologies. We report user's reactions to mediated environments in which the sound of their voice is represented via a frequency-to-color-mapped visualization. Users reported a sense of interaction and enjoyment, but results from a preliminary user study have yet to show a clear link with presence. We discuss the next stages of the research which will investigate how mixed-sense modalities contribute to co-presence and collaboration in multi-user environments.

We developed a wearable sensor system for estimating finger contact force by measuring the mechanical deformation of the side of the fingerpad. The first part of this paper describes and validates the principle of contact force estimation, and discusses the design criteria of the wearable sensor. We then describe the manufacture of a practical sensor system in the form of a wearable fingerpad fixture and the development of a calibration procedure which eliminates the effect of individual fingerpad differences. The measured root mean square (RMS) error in estimating contact force is about 0.2 N, which is suitable for examining subtle human behaviors, such as applying cosmetics. We demonstrated the possible usage of the contact force sensor in combination with a three-axis acceleration sensor. The proposed sensor system is sufficiently small and light when fixed on the fingernail, and is considered to have little constraining or modifying effect on usual haptic behaviors. It should be widely useful for evaluating human haptic procedures in psychological research or ergonomic studies.

We previously proposed a new 3D form display actuated by shape memory alloy (SMA), which is capable of displaying large scale objects sequentially. Based on our devised method, our display uses a 16×16 array of pin-rods with 30mm stroke at 5mm intervals. In this paper, we discuss the control method of the shape memory alloy with a simple matrix drive circuit. This type of drive circuit can dramatically reduce the number of switch. In addition, we propose a novel approach using linear programming, where the simulated time to display a whole shape is reduced by about 50% or more with a large number of actuators.