Multimodal Haptic Armrest for Immersive 4D Experiences

Inclusion of haptic effects is gaining popularity as an essential feature for immersive 4D entertainment experiences. In the present WIP, we introduce our ongoing development of a multimodal haptic armrest and the research it enables. The functioning prototype provides vibrotactile sensations using large and small vibration motors, and generates airflow, thermal, and poking sensations using a fan, a Peltier module, and solenoids, respectively. When actuated appropriately, these haptic stimuli can allow users to experience an enhanced level of immersion when consuming content without large, expensive peripherals. This platform is being used to support our research on automatic haptic content generation mechanisms.