A Self-Sensing Technique Using Inductively-Coupled Coils for Deformable User Interfaces

We present a device shape sensing method using coils that are inductively coupled in the horizontal direction. By observing the change in the coupling characteristics between the coils arranged side by side, the positional relationship between the coils can be detected. By using the proposed technique, the shape of an object having a coil can be sensed without an external sensing mechanism such as a camera. In this paper, we show two types of prototypes, a rigid device combining multiple small tiles and a flexible device, and verify the basic characteristics. By utilizing the proposed technique, a deformable user interface with various inputs can be constructed simply by forming simple metal wiring on the device.