Petanko Roller

Most people will have experienced squishing clay and making it flat. The action of changing the shapes of real objects induces pleasant feelings or excitement. In this research, we propose a system, named Petanko Roller, which enables users to experience the sensation of rolling out any object in the real world with a rolling pin virtually. This system, by detecting the shapes of physical objects with a range camera, can represent haptic sensations of unevenness or friction of the objects, using modules for clunk mechanisms and brakes of a rolling-pin-based interface. Furthermore, by projecting images of the objects being squished on a tabletop display, it can also give optical feedback to users. In this paper, we discuss the system design, implementation, and behavior of users in exhibitions.

*This project was conducted at Yasuaki Kakehi Lab (now in UTokyo), Keio University.