Curveball

CurveBall is an ergonomic input device that uses grip and motion to interact with modal UIs. Hardware for this project was developed by Scott Gilliland as part of a UROC Project.

Motivation

• Off-the-desk interaction is important in ubiquitous computing
• Most off-the-desk input devices do not support complex tasks
• Apply multitouch interaction techniques to ergonomic surfaces for creating more expressive interactions
• Expand multitouch interaction by using pressure as another dimension of input

Overview

• Inner core holds 3-axis accelerometer and SimpliciTI platform for transmitting data. The core is powered with an iPod shuffle battery.
• Core is surrounded by 12 photo transistors and 20 leds
• Readings from the photo transistors vary with touching and amount of pressure applied to outer layer
• Outer layer of ballistics gel provides an easy to grip and ergonomic surface for use
• Pressure values and acceleration information are passed to a computer to perform recognition on motion and grip

UROC Poster