Michael Haller

Free University of Bozen-Bolzano | Unibolzano · Faculty of Engineering

We investigate personalised feedback mechanisms to help drivers regulate their emotions, aiming to improve road safety. We systematically evaluate driver-preferred feedback modalities and their impact on emotional states. Using unobtrusive vision-based emotion detection and self-labeling, we captured the emotional states and feedback preferences of...

Advancements in materials and technologies have enabled thin-film electronics to be directly developed on previously unsuitable substrates. This paper explores the fabrication of two thin-film temperature sensors, thermistors and resistance temperature detectors (RTD), using stone-based substrates, including marble, brick, stone paper, and Limex pa...

Eco-riding assistance systems on electrified powered two-wheelers aim at decreasing energy consumption. However, the efficiency of such systems depends on the riders' behavior. Therefore, the present paper evaluates an eco-riding assistance system giving recommendations for regenerative braking, coasting, and sailing regarding compliance, transfer...

Flexible sensors and electronics have gained much attention in recent years. They are especially interesting due to their abilities to conform to static and dynamic surfaces while keeping their functionality. These characteristics makes them relevant for a wide range of applications, from healthcare and fitness monitoring to soft robotics. In this...

In this demo, we present two types of knitted resistive force sensors for both pressure and strain sensing. They can be manufactured ready-made on a two-bed weft knitting machine, without requiring further post-processing steps. Due to their softness, elasticity, and breathability our sensors provide an appealing haptic experience. We show their wo...

With spaceR, we present both design and implementation of a resistive force-sensor based on a spacer fabric knit. Due to its softness and elasticity, our sensor provides an appealing haptic experience. It enables continuous input with high precision due to its innate haptic feedback and can be manufactured ready-made on a regular two-bed weft knitt...

Over decades, many researchers developed complex in-lab systems with the overall goal to track multiple body parts of the user for a richer and more powerful 2D/3D interaction with a distant display. In this work, we introduce a novel smartphone-based tracking approach that eliminates the need for complex tracking systems. Relying on simultaneous u...

We present Sonoflex, a thin-form, embroidered dynamic speaker made without using a permanent magnet. Our design consists of two flat spiral coils, stacked on top of each other, and is based on an isolated, thin (0.15 mm) enameled copper wire. Our approach allows for thin, lightweight, and textile speakers and does not require high voltage as in ele...

We demonstrate a force sensing knitted textile, based on a piezo-resistive yarn. The resulting elastic, stretchable, and robust textile exhibits sensors based on the widespread Force Sensitive Resistor (FSR) principle. As a proof-of-concept, we implemented a knit consisting of multiple piezo-resistive wales, each intersecting with a single vertical...

We propose, implement and evaluate the use of a smartphone application for real-time six-degrees-of-freedom user input. We show that our app-based approach achieves high accuracy and goes head-to-head with expensive externally tracked controllers. The strength of our application is that it is simple to implement and is highly accessible --- requiri...

We present RESi (Resistive tExtile Sensor Interfaces), a novel sensing approach enabling a new kind of yarn-based, resistive pressure sensing. The core of RESi builds on a newly designed yarn, which features conductive and resistive properties. We run a technical study to characterize the behaviour of the yarn and to determine the sensing principle...

A set of prominent designers embarked on a research journey to explore aesthetics in movement-based design. Here we unpack one of the design sensitivities unique to our practice: a strong first person perspective—where the movements, somatics and aesthetic sensibilities of the designer, design researcher and user are at the forefront. We present an...

Prolonged sitting is a risk factor for several diseases and the prevalence of worksite-based interventions such as sit-to-stand workstations is increasing. Although their impact on sedentary behaviour has been regularly investigated, the effect of working in alternating body postures on cognitive performance is unclear. To address this uncertainty,...

Over the last decades, there have been numerous efforts in wearable computing research to enable interactive textiles. Most work focus, however, on integrating sensors for planar touch gestures, and thus do not fully take advantage of the flexible, deformable and tangible material properties of textile. In this work, we introduce SmartSleeve, a def...

We present a demonstration of GestureDrawer, a one-handed interaction with a 3D imaginary interface.

Existing empty-handed mid-air interaction techniques for system control are typically limited to a confined gesture set or point-and-select on graphical user interfaces. In this paper, we introduce GestureDrawer, a one-handed interaction with a 3D imaginary interface. Our approach allows users to self-define an imaginary interface, acquire visuospa...

The increased interest in interactive soft materials, such as smart clothing and responsive furniture, means that there is a need for flexible and deformable electronics. In this paper, we focus on stitch-based elastic sensors, which have the benefit of being manufacturable with textile craft tools that have been used in homes for centuries. We con...

Constructive assemblies are tangible user interfaces (TUIs) that involve the interconnection of modular parts. As such, they offer a unique means to support us in our various and diverse activities. However, little information is available for understanding the intricacies of taking a modular, constructive assembly approach to TUI design. Based on...

Today's commercially available prosthetic limbs lack tactile sensation and feedback. Recent research in this domain focuses on sensor technologies designed to be directly embedded into future prostheses. We present a novel concept and prototype of a prosthetic-sensing wearable that offers a non-invasive, self-applicable and customizable approach fo...

Background: Prolonged sitting is ubiquitous in modern society and linked to several diseases. Height-adjustable desks are being used to decrease worksite based sitting time (ST). Single-desk sit-to-stand workplaces exhibit small ST reduction potential and short-term loss in performance. The aim of this paper is to report the study design and metho...

Ambient light is starting to be commercially used to enhance the viewing experience for watching TV. We believe that ambient light can add value in meeting and control rooms that use large vertical interactive surfaces. Therefore, we equipped a large interactive whiteboard with a peripheral ambient light display and explored its utility for differe...

In the FlexTiles demonstration, we present a flexible, stretchable, pressure-sensitive, tactile input sensor consisting of three layers of fabric. We demonstrate the implementation of FlexTiles for covering large areas, 3D objects, and deformable underlying shapes. In order to measure these large areas with high framerate, we demonstrate a simple m...

FlexCase is a novel flip cover for smartphones, which brings flexible input and output capabilities to existing mobile phones. It combines an e-paper display with a pressure- and bendsensitive input sensor to augment the capabilities of a phone. Due to the form factor, FlexCase can be easily transformed into several different configurations, each w...

Structuring and rearranging free-hand sketches on large interactive surfaces typically requires making multiple stroke selections. Without well-designed selection tools, this can be both time-consuming and fatiguing. Investigating the concept of automated clustering, we conducted a background study to understand the varying perspectives of how elem...

" Structuring and rearranging free-hand sketches on large interactive surfaces typically requires making multiple stroke selections. This can be both time-consuming and fatiguing in the absence of well-designed selection tools. Investigating the concept of automated clustering, we conducted a background study which highlighted the fact that people...

In this paper we evaluated the possible application of a passive, optical sensor as an interface for human-smart glasses interactions. The designed proximity sensor is composed of set of photodiodes and the appropriate hardware and software components. First, experiments were performed for the estimations of such parameters as distance to an object...

Early research on head-worn computers (HWCs) has focused on hardware and specific applications. However, there is little research about the everyday usage of head-worn computers in particular aspects such as: context of use, social acceptance across different activities, audiences and interaction techniques. This paper provides insights into the us...

Industrial designers have a tangible working style. However, compared to digital data, physical mockups are difficult to copy and share over distance. They require a lot of physical space, and earlier versions are lost once they are modified. In this paper, we introduce Catch-Up 360, a tool designed for sharing physical mockups over distance to gai...

Rekimoto's Pick-and-Drop (P&D) transfer technique is commonly used to support multi-surface object transfer (e.g., between a shared tabletop and tablet) due to its easily understood metaphor of emulating object movement in the physical world. Current multi-surface implementations of P&D provide little to no feedback during transfer, causing confusi...

We present Tracs, a dual-sided see-through display system with controllable transparency. Traditional displays are a constant visual and communication barrier, hindering fast and efficient collaboration of spatially close or facing coworkers. Transparent displays could potentially remove these barriers, but introduce new issues of personal privacy,...

This paper presents 3D-Board, a digital whiteboard capable of capturing life-sized virtual embodiments of geographically distributed users. When using large-scale screens for remote collaboration, awareness for the distributed users' gestures and actions is of particular importance. Our work adds to the literature on remote collaborative workspaces...

We present FlexSense, a new thin-film, transparent sensing surface based on printed piezoelectric sensors, which can reconstruct complex deformations without the need for any external sensing, such as cameras. FlexSense provides a fully self-contained setup which improves mobility and is not affected from occlusions. Using only a sparse set of sens...

The present invention relates to a multi-touch display system that supports both multi-touch human input as well as input from a digital pen. The display system has a display panel that is configured to allow human touches along a front surface to be detected and tracked. The display panel also includes a location pattern that preferably covers the...

We developed a paperclip-shaped motion-actuating system, named “Move-it”. With this system, users can add motions to sticky notes just by clipping it. This system is constructed by using clip-shaped devices that have sensors and actuators. The recognition system uses photo interrupter module as sensor. Each clip device can recognize which note it h...

Office workers spend a majority of their time in front of their computer display. Therefore the display becomes a constant visual barrier and a barrier for communication. Even workers sitting across a table have to make a high effort to communicate by either standing up or walking around the table to see each other. Transparent displays have a high...

During everyday office work we are used to controlling our computers with keyboard and mouse, whereas the physical ¬space around us remains largely unattended. Addressing this untapped potential, we follow an approach that is based on gestural interaction with smart furniture interfaces, subtly blended into the work environment. Adding to existing...

During everyday office work we are used to controlling our computers with keyboard and mouse, while the majority of our body remains unchallenged and the physical work-space around us stays largely unattended. Addressing this untapped potential, we explore the concept of turning a flexible office chair into a ubiquitous input device. To facilitate...

In this paper, we present Presstures, an extension to current multi-touch operations that enriches common multi-finger gestures with pressure information. By using the initially applied pressure level for implicit mode switching, a gesture can be enhanced with different functionalities to enlarge the interaction space for multi-touch. To evaluate t...

This paper introduces an alternative novel visualization concept to organize visual data. Our design has been guided by the goal to make information visible with uniform snapshots. After a detailed description of design implications, our interaction model is fully demonstrated within a file management prototype that utilizes the new visualization....

Post-it notes are a popular paper format that serves a multitude of purposes in our daily lives, as they provide excellent affordances for quick capturing of informal notes, and location-sensitive reminding. In this paper, we present Move-it, a system that combines Post-it notes with a technologically enhanced paperclip to demonstrate how a passive...

Modifying a digital sketch may require multiple selections before a particular editing tool can be applied. Especially on large interactive surfaces, such interactions can be fatiguing. Accordingly, we propose a method, called Suggero, to facilitate the selection process of digital ink. Suggero identifies groups of perceptually related drawing obje...

Situation maps play an important role in planning and decision making in emergency response centers. Important information such as operating units or hazards is usually shown on these maps. Arranging the huge amount of in-formation can be challenging for operators, as this information should always be visible while not occluding im-portant regions...

Ferroelectric material supports both pyro-and piezoelectric effects that can be used for sensing pressures on large, bended surfaces. We present PyzoFlex®, a pressure-sensing input device that is based on a ferroelectric material (PVDF:TrFE). It is constructed by a sandwich structure of four layers that can easily be printed on any substrate. The P...

In practice, most creativity techniques are still performed with traditional tools, such as pen and paper, whiteboards, and flipcharts. When transforming these techniques into a digital environment, the reduction of organizational overhead is the main goal to foster accessibility. Still, we do not know if overhead reduction fosters creativity or if...

Nowadays sedentary behaviors such as prolonged sitting have become a predominant element of our lives. Particularly in the office environment, many people spend the majority of their working day seated in front of a computer. In this paper, we investigate the adoption of a physically active work process within an activity-promoting office workspace...

Move-it is active paperclip system that transforms traditional paper into an active digital medium by adding content recognition and automated actuation. Each paperclip consists of a polyester plate and shape memory alloy (SMA) as an actuator, and photo-reflectors as sensors that recognize the ID each sheet of paper has. Every stroke can be tracked...

A typical office worker nowadays spends the majority of his time sedentary in the course of his working life. In this paper, we address the problem of sedentariness in the context of office work through smooth integration of light physical activity into the daily work routine. Equipping a flexible office chair with motion sensing functionality, the...

Overview+Detail interfaces can be used to examine the details of complex data while retaining the data's overall context. Dynamic data introduce challenges for these interfaces, however, as moving objects may exit the detail view, as well as a person's field of view if they are working at a large interactive surface. To address this "off-view" prob...

Triggering commands on large interactive surfaces is less efficient than on desktop PCs. It requires either large physical movements to reach an interaction area (e.g., buttons) or additional operations to call context menus (e.g., dwell). There is a lack of efficient ways to trigger shortcuts. We introduce Kolibri - a pen-based gesture system that...

The increasing degree of computerization over the past years had led to higher amounts of sedentary time and time spent in static postures, which can be associated with higher risks of chronic diseases, obesity and even mortality. To counteract this negative developments a novel workplace conception called “Active Office” consisting of a standing a...

Blended Interaction is interaction in physical environments including meeting rooms, design studios, or libraries, that are augmented with new UI technologies to blend the power of digital computing with natural work practices and collaboration styles. It combines the virtues of physical and digital artifacts so that desired properties of each are...

A collaboration system provides enhanced user interface to enable users to interact with electronic devices. In one embodiment, users can add content to a digital system by using a pen that streams coordinates so that input to the digital system may be based on conventional pen and paper handwriting. In another embodiment, a pie-based menu system i...

In this paper we present the results of a study of human preferences in using mid-air gestures for directing other humans. Rather than contributing a specific set of gestures, we contribute a set of gesture types, which together make a set of the core actions needed to complete any of our six chosen tasks in the domain of human-to-human gestural co...

Ferroelectric material supports both pyro-and piezoelectric effects that can be used for sensing pressures on large, bended surfaces. We present PyzoFlex, a pressure-sensing input device that is based on a ferroelectric material. It is constructed with a sandwich structure of four layers that can be printed easily on any material. We use this mater...

Creativity and innovation are much sought-after qualities of indi-viduals and organizations, but existing creativity practises are not cohesively integrated with digital workflows or digital artefacts. We introduce a set of design considerations for digital systems to support creative processes, specifically supporting the three ongo-ing, iterative...