FlexiVol: Touching the Future of 3D Interaction
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MADRID — May 8,2024 — A research team in Spain has unveiled FlexiVol,a groundbreaking technology enabling users to interact with 3D objects by directly touching and manipulating them. The new system, developed by researchers at Universidad Pública de Navarra, utilizes a soft, elastic display, opening application possibilities across eCommerce, medical simulation, and other industries.With FlexiVol, the future of interaction is at your fingertips.
FlexiVol: Touching the Future of 3D Interaction
Imagine reaching into a screen and manipulating a virtual object with your bare hands. A research team in Spain has developed FlexiVol, a novel technology that allows users to do just that, possibly revolutionizing online shopping, medical imaging, and more.
Key Highlights
- Spanish researchers have created technology enabling users to “touch” and “manipulate” 3D objects with their hands.
- FlexiVol replaces the rigid optical diffuser in a volumetric display with a soft,elastic one,making direct interaction possible.
- Potential applications span online shopping, medical simulation, and 3D modeling.
The Innovation: A Soft Touch to Volumetric Displays
FlexiVol is a display system that allows users to interact with 3D graphics without needing special equipment like headsets or gloves. According to a paper by researchers at the Universidad Pública de Navarra, the system uses a volumetric display, a technology that presents 3D graphics without requiring special glasses.
Traditional volumetric displays use rigid optical diffusers, making it unsafe to insert a hand.Interaction typically requires a 3D mouse or keyboard. FlexiVol’s innovation lies in replacing the rigid diffuser with a soft, elastic one, allowing users to reach in and directly manipulate the virtual object.
Did you know?
Volumetric displays have been around for decades,but their practical application has been limited by the need for specialized viewing equipment and the inability to physically interact with the displayed objects.
Applications Across Industries
FlexiVol opens the door to a new class of touch interactions with digital objects,with applications ranging from eCommerce to scientific modeling,engineering,education,and medical simulation.
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How FlexiVol works: A Deeper Dive
FlexiVol projects slices of a 3D object onto a fast-moving screen, creating the illusion of solid objects floating in midair. Instead of a hard projection surface, FlexiVol uses strips of elastic fabric that mold around a user’s hand.
This allows users to directly touch,grab,rotate,and move virtual 3D objects.Unlike flat touchscreens or augmented reality systems, the 3D visual and the hand exist in the same physical space.
Pro Tip
The key to FlexiVol’s success is the elastic optical diffuser. Its adaptability allows for safe interaction, while its optical properties maintain a clear and stable 3D image.
User Experience: easier, More Natural, and Fun
Researchers tested FlexiVol with 18 volunteers, tasking them with touching red spheres, guiding a ball along a circuit, and placing a white cube inside a red cube, using either a 3D mouse or their hand.
The results were compelling: 89% of volunteers preferred using their hands because it felt easier and more natural.
Most also described it as fun.
While some felt the 3D mouse offered greater accuracy, using their hands allowed them to complete tasks substantially
faster.
Initial apprehension about touching the virtual display quickly dissipated. Volunteers described the sensation as soft,
even pleasant,
with some reporting ticklish sensations.
The volunteers were a bit apprehensive at first about touching the virtual display — one even thought it would hurt — but they later said touching the display and 3D objects didn’t bother them. Most also described the sensation as “soft,” even “pleasant.” Two participants felt some tickles.
Future Applications: A World of Possibilities
After the experiment, volunteers suggested potential use cases including online shopping simulators, 3D modeling, 3D sketching and painting, visualizing 3D plans, medical applications like surgery, and video games.
The potential impact of FlexiVol is vast,promising to transform how we interact with digital content and opening up new possibilities across various industries.
