3D printed objects that detect user interaction

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objetos impresos en 3d que detectan la interaccion del usuario.jpg
objetos impresos en 3d que detectan la interaccion del usuario.jpg

The detection capacity of the keyboard and mouse to exert their function is remarkable, as is the joystick when it is used to play video games on the PC.

Researchers at MIT took this fact into account and used it as an approach for their latest project called MetaSense, in which they created a new method for 3D printing. mechanisms capable of detecting the force applied to an object.

Also, the researchers point out that this method could be used to print in 3D «Interactive input devices” as a joystick, hand control, or switch that act in the same way as conventional input devices.

Jun Gong was in charge of writing the article where the procedures carried out to materialize this project were reflected. Joining him are graduate student Olivia Seow and research assistant Cedric Honnet. So do graduate student Jack Forman and lead author Stefanie Mueller.

For the construction of these elements were used metamaterials, elements formed by a cell grid. When the user exerts force on a metamaterial object, some of the flexible inner cells respond to this stimulus. stretching or compressing.

Based on this fact, the researchers created flexible cells, also called conductive shear cells, and endowed them with two opposite walls of conductive filaments that function as electrodes and two walls with non-conductive filament.

The researchers then set about creating a metamaterial joystick in which they embedded 4 conductive shear cells on all four sides of the base of the handle.

In this way, when the user moves the joystick handle, the distance and the area between the conductive walls undergo a change, making it possible to detect the direction and magnitude of each applied force, thereby generating values ​​that were later converted into inputs for a PAC-MAN game as can be seen in the video.

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Likewise, it is expected that the results obtained from this research will allow the future creation of new intelligent environments where furniture, as well as other objects may be able to recognize user generated stimuli.

In this way, a chair or sofa would be capable of executing a specific action based on measurements made when detecting the user’s body resting on the surface, such as activating the television if it is recognized that the person has adopted a posture oriented towards this object. .