Sensory Perception & Interaction Research Group

Morphing - combining two pieces of media into a third in-between one - is a powerful technique for creative control over images and audio. Can the same work for the sense of touch? We developed a new algorithm based on dynamic-time warping to morph rhythm profiles of haptic icons. We then compared it to simple cross-fading.

 

To evaluate these algorithms, we propose perceptual criteria: morphs must be predictable, related to their parents, and distinguishable, something new and distinct from their parents. We evaluated and compared these algorithms in two studies, finding that our new rhythm algorithm is more predictable than cross fading, and discovering conditions where it is distinguishable.

 

We put these algorithms into a online, open-source tool called MacaronMix. Designers, researchers, and hapticians can use this tool to create and study haptic icons, and to develop new morphing algorithms.

 

Paper images and links are also available here: http://oliverschneider.ca/macaronmix/