Augmented Touch: A Mounting Adapter for Oculus Touch Controllers that Enables New Hyperreal Instruments

Anil Çamci, and John Granzow

Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

• Year: 2022
• Location: The University of Auckland, New Zealand
• Article Number: 37
• DOI: 10.21428/92fbeb44.a26a4014 (Link to paper)
• PDF link
• Presentation Video

Abstract:

In this paper, we discuss our ongoing work to leverage virtual reality and digital fabrication to investigate sensory mappings across the visual, auditory, and haptic modalities in VR, and how such mappings can affect musical expression in this medium. Specifically, we introduce a custom adapter for the Oculus Touch controller that allows it to be augmented with physical parts that can be tracked, visualized, and sonified in VR. This way, a VR instrument can be made to have a physical manifestation that facilitates additional forms of tactile feedback besides those offered by the Touch controller, enabling new forms of musical interaction. We then discuss a case study, where we use the adapter to implement a new VR instrument that integrates the repelling force between neodymium magnets into the controllers. This allows us to imbue the virtual instrument, which is inherently devoid of tactility, with haptic feedback—-an essential affordance of many musical instruments.

Citation:

BibTeX Entry:

  @inproceedings{NIME22_37,
 abstract = {In this paper, we discuss our ongoing work to leverage virtual reality and digital fabrication to investigate sensory mappings across the visual, auditory, and haptic modalities in VR, and how such mappings can affect musical expression in this medium. Specifically, we introduce a custom adapter for the Oculus Touch controller that allows it to be augmented with physical parts that can be tracked, visualized, and sonified in VR. This way, a VR instrument can be made to have a physical manifestation that facilitates additional forms of tactile feedback besides those offered by the Touch controller, enabling new forms of musical interaction. We then discuss a case study, where we use the adapter to implement a new VR instrument that integrates the repelling force between neodymium magnets into the controllers. This allows us to imbue the virtual instrument, which is inherently devoid of tactility, with haptic feedback—-an essential affordance of many musical instruments.},
 address = {The University of Auckland, New Zealand},
 articleno = {37},
 author = {{\c{C}}amci, Anil and Granzow, John},
 booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
 doi = {10.21428/92fbeb44.a26a4014},
 issn = {2220-4806},
 month = {jun},
 pdf = {33.pdf},
 presentation-video = {https://youtu.be/fnoQOO4rz4M},
 title = {Augmented Touch: A Mounting Adapter for Oculus Touch Controllers that Enables New Hyperreal Instruments},
 url = {https://doi.org/10.21428%2F92fbeb44.a26a4014},
 year = {2022}
}