OriFeel: Origami-Inspired Actuation for Force-Based Tactile Feedback on Ambient Surfaces
Shubham Rohal, Shijia Pan
TL;DR
OriFeel addresses the challenge of delivering force-based tactile feedback on ambient surfaces without bulky actuators or high power by integrating a Miura-Ori foldable structure with compliant folding lines and a cable-based actuation framework. The system translates lateral cable tension into vertical surface force, enabling a slim form factor and scalable deployment across surfaces. The authors design and fabricate a real-world prototype (3×4 unit pattern, 12 units) and validate it through structure tests, system measurements (e.g., $9.625~\text{W}$, $0.48~\text{s}$ actuation, $12~\text{mm}$ height change), a pressure-mapping study, comparative analysis, and a user study demonstrating distinguishable tactile feedback across body locations. The work highlights OriFeel’s potential for unobtrusive tactile communication and ambient-surface interaction, with future directions toward richer tactile effects and integrated sensing.
Abstract
People are constantly in touch with surfaces in their lives, such as a sofa, armrest, and table, making them natural tactile interfaces. Despite the recent advancements in shape-changing surfaces, current available solutions are often challenging to retrofit into ambient surfaces due to their bulky form factor or high power requirements. We present \name, a foldable structure-enabled tactile feedback mechanism that leverages the structural properties of Miura-Ori fold to enable on-surface force actuation. The foldable structure allows the surfaces to provide perpendicular force via lateral actuation, resulting in a slim form factor that can be actuated via cable-based design using a servo motor. We evaluate the system with a real-world prototype and a user study. The user study shows that users can effectively distinguish multiple intensity levels.