TouchCast: An On-line Platform for Creation and Sharingof Tactile Content Based on Tactile Copy & Paste
Yuta Takeuchi

Hirotaka Katakura

Sho Kamuro

Keio University
yuppon@tachilab.org

Keio University
s08232hk@sfc.keio.ac.jp

University of Tokyo
kamuro@tachilab.org

Kouta Minamizawa
Keio University
kouta@tachilab.org

Susumu Tachi
Keio University
tachi@tachilab.org

ACM 978-1-4503-1582-1/12/10.When designing our platform, it

Abstract

is important to ensure that the transmission and renderingof realistic tactile textures involve easy techniques. In thestudy presented in [2], a finger-shaped sensor received astimulus when stroking objects, and the scanned data weretransmitted for being displayed in real time. In another research, force and acceleration values were recorded to reproduce realistic haptic sensations [3]. These attempts weresuccessful in transmitting realistic tactile textures, but theyrequired complex calculations and devices that only a professional can use, and therefore, they are unsuitable fornon-professional users. For the creation and sharing of
UGTC, we devise easy methods to render and transmit avariety of tactile textures.

We propose TouchCast, which is an on-line platform forthe creating and sharing of tactile content based on Tactile
Copy & Paste. User-Generated Tactile Content refers totactile content that is created, shared and appreciated bygeneral Internet users. TouchCast enables users to create
tactile content by applying tactile textures to existing online content (e.g., illustrations) and to share the created
content over the network. Applied textures are scanned
from real objects as audio signals, and we call this technique Tactile Copy & Paste. In this study, we implement
the system as a Web browser add-on to create User Generated Tactile Content.
Keywords: User-Generated Content; Tactile interaction;
Tactile transmission; Web-based interaction.

TactileSharing

ACM Classification: H.5.2 [User Interface]: Haptic I/O,
H.5.3 [Group and Organization Interfaces]: Web-basedinteraction

Tactile content
Creation & Sharing

General terms: Design, Human Factors
Introduction

Many tactile devices have been proposed to date. However,
it is difficult to create and to render tactile textures, andtherefore, we have only a small amount of tactile content.
In order to disseminate and enhance tactile experience, it isnecessary to increase the amount of tactile content and havegeneral users experience it.

Experience
Tactile Content
Figure 1. Conceptual sketch of UGTC
Proposed method
Tactile Copy & Paste

On the other hand, in the case of visual and auditory content, a large amount of User-Generated Content (UGC)
exists [1]. In particular, Japanese amateur creators havedeveloped a unique culture of UGC derived from the Otaku
culture. NicoNico Douga (http://www.nicovideo.jp/) andPixiv (http://www.pixiv.net/) are on-line sharing sites for
self-made movies, illustrations, and novels (Figure 2). These Web sites have more than 15 million users and are very
interactive; amateur creators create, share, appreciate, andremix their own or others’ content. By this cycle, a large
variety of content is created and shared. The introduction ofthis cycle to tactile content is expected to be effective inincreasing the amount of tactile content. Therefore, in thisstudy, we implement a platform for the creation and sharingof User-Generated Tactile Content (UGTC) that is created,shared, and appreciated by general Internet users (Figure 1).

To simplify tactile rendering, the TECHTILE toolkit [4]uses audio signals for tactile stimulations and provides
sounds recorded by a microphone from a voice coil (Figure3). Audio signals can be easily handled on the Internet because many protocols and file formats have been proposed.
In our previous study, Haptic Duplicator [5], which uses
the method of the TECHTILE Toolkit, was proposed forperforming Tactile Copy & Paste (Figure 4). The method
involves copying tactile textures from surface textures ofreal objects by stroking a microphone and pasting it on 3D
content. In this study, copied textures are applied to illustrations, and we aim to create illustrations with various
types of tactile feedback.
Platform for Creation and Sharing of Tactile Content

To help general users create tactile content, we design theplatform to include a tactile editor. Referring to existingvisual editors e.g., PhotoShop (Adobe Inc.), we design theinterface such that it is capable of applying tactile textures

Copyright is held by the owner/author(s).
UIST ’12, October 7–10, 2012, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
ACM 978-1-4503-1582-1/12/10.

13

to illustrations, similar to the task of painting different colors. Considering that it is difficult to create tactile texturesat present because we do not have general models for tactile generation, we collect scanned textures and provide
tactile material for the creation of tactile content. The moreusers scan and share tactile textures and create content, thelarger is the tactile database. Moreover, the created content
can be shared and experienced from anywhere in the world
with a simple and inexpensive tactile device.

Figure 2. Japanese illustration sharing site Pixiv

Figure 3. Recordingtactile texture by using a microphone

Figure 4. Tactile copy &paste

Figure 5. Overview of creation
modeFigure 6. Using the penshaped tactile device
Conclusion

Figure 7. Prototype of the penshaped tactile device

In this paper, we presented TouchCast, which is an on-line
platform for the creation and sharing of UGTC, based on
Tactile Copy & Paste. In this system, users can create tactile content and appreciate the various shared content easilyon the Internet. Tactile textures can be copied from real
objects and handled as easy-to-handle audio signals on theInternet. In a user survey, some users said that it is important to search for specific tactile textures. To facilitatesuch a search, it is necessary to develop a simple searchengine for tactile textures. In UIST 2012, we will provide asequence of tactile content that has been created and experienced and show the essence of tactile designs. Further, inorder to develop a search engine, we intend recording tactile textures and user-associated keywords.

Implementation

TouchCast is implemented as a browser add-on. The addon is optimized for the Japanese illustration sharing sitePixiv because this site has many illustrations and is suitable for verifying our system’s effectiveness. The platform
is aimed at supporting the creation and sharing of UGTCand has two modes: creation and experience modes. In thecreation mode, users choose an illustration to which theywant to apply a tactile texture and they also select areas towhich the texture is to be applied; this is similar to the useof the pen tool in PhotoShop (Figure 5). Textures are applied by the technique of Tactile Copy & Paste. The textures are stored in our tactile database, and users can use
them for content creation.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

In the experience mode, users experience tactile content
with a tactile device. When they touch areas to which tactile textures have been applied, the system plays back vibration sounds from the voice coil (Figure 6). Further, theplay-back speed changes according to the users’ movement[3][4]. If the speed of the cursor increases, the play-backspeed also increases. In the real world, a similar phenomenon occurs: if we touch real objects that are stationary, wecannot feel vibrotactile sensations. This method is based on
the real world, and therefore, we can provide a variety ofrealistic tactile textures. We also provide a pen-shaped tactile device that is optimized for TouchCast. The device
consists of a voice coil, an audio amplifier, an electroconductive rubber, and a microphone. The device is basedon the method discussed in [4] and can record and provide
various tactile textures (Figure 7).

This research was supported by the JST-CREST Haptic
Media Project and the IPA MITOH Program.
REFERENCES	  1. John, K.: User-Generated Content. Pervasive Computing.
vol.7.No.4. 10-11. 2008.
2. Yamauchi, T., Okamoto, S., Konyo, M., Hidaka, Y., Maeno,T., and Tadokoro, S.: Real-Time Remote Transmission ofMultiple Tactile Properties through Master-Slave Robot System, IEEE ICRA 2010, 1753-1560, 2010.
3. Culbertson, H., Joseph M. R., Pablo, C., Max, M., and Katherine J. K.: Refined Methods for Creating Realistic Haptic Virtual Textures from Tool-Mediated Contact Acceleration Data,
Haptics Symposium 2012, 385-391, 2012.
4. Minamizawa, K., Kakehi, Y., Nakatani, N., Mihara, S., andTachi, S.: TECHTILE Toolkit: A Prototyping Tool for Designand Education of Haptic Media. Laval Virtual 2012.

By using these techniques, users can apply tactile textures
to illustrations in a manner similar to the task of painting.

5. Takeuchi, Y., Kamuro, S., Minamizawa, K., and Tachi, S.,
Haptic Duplicator. Laval Virtual 2012.

14