CHARM: Cord-Based Haptic Augmented Reality Manipulation

Abstract

The recent trend of emerging high-quality Augmented Reality (AR) glasses offered the possibility for visually exciting application scenarios. However, the interaction with these devices is often challenging since current input methods most of the time lack haptic feedback and are limited in their user interface controls. With this work, we introduce, a combination of a belt-worn interaction device, utilizing a retractable cord, and a set of interaction techniques to enhance AR input capabilities with physical controls and spatial constraints. Building on our previous research, we created a fully-functional prototype to investigate how body-worn string devices can be used to support generic AR tasks. We contribute a radial widget menu for system control as well as transformation techniques for 3D object manipulation. To validate our interaction concepts for system control, we implemented a mid-air gesture interface as a baseline and evaluated our prototype in two formative user studies. Our results show that our approach provides flexibility regarding possible interaction mappings and was preferred for manipulation tasks compared to mid-air gesture input.