EchoTube: Modular and robust press sensing along flexible tubes using waveguided ultrasound

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingArticle in proceedingsResearchpeer-review

While pressing can enable a wide variety of interesting applications, most press sensing techniques operate only at close distances and rely on fragile electronics. We present EchoTube, a robust, modular, simple, and inexpensive system for sensing low-resolution press events at a distance. EchoTube works by emitting ultrasonic pulses inside a flexible tube which acts as a waveguide and detecting reflections caused by deformations in the tube. EchoTube is deployable in a wide variety of situations: the flexibility of the tubes allows them to be wrapped around and affixed to irregular objects. Because the electronic elements are located at one end of the tube, EchoTube is robust, able to withstand crushing, impacts, water, and other adverse conditions. In this paper, we detail the design, implementation, and theory behind EchoTube; characterize its performance under different configurations; and present a variety of exemplar applications that illustrate its potential.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationISS 2019 - Proceedings of the 2019 ACM International Conference on Interactive Surfaces and Spaces
Number of pages9
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
Publication date2019
Pages147-155
ISBN (Electronic)9781450368919
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019
Event14th ACM International Conference on Interactive Surfaces and Spaces, ISS 2019 - Deajon, Korea, Republic of
Duration: 10 Nov 201913 Nov 2019

Conference

Conference14th ACM International Conference on Interactive Surfaces and Spaces, ISS 2019
LandKorea, Republic of
ByDeajon
Periode10/11/201913/11/2019
SponsorACM SIGCHI

    Research areas

  • Press sensing, Sensors, Sound, Tubes, Ultrasound, Waveguide

ID: 239868724