TherModule

Abstract

Humans have specific sensory organs and they can feel tactile sensation on the whole body. However, many haptic devices have limitations due to the location of the body part and might not provide natural haptic feedback. Thus, we propose a novel interface, TherModule, which is a wearable and modular thermal feedback system for embodied interactions based on a wireless platform. TherModule can be worn on multiple body parts such as the wrist, forearm, ankle, and neck. In this paper, we describe the system concept, module implementation, and applications. To demonstrate and explore the embodied interaction with thermal feedback, we implemented prototype applications, such as movie experiences, projector-based augmented reality, navigation, and notification based on a wireless platform, with TherModule on multiple parts of the body. The result of an experiment on movie experience showed that participants felt more interactions between temperature and visual stimulus.