Tactile Feedback Actuators for Remote Social Dancing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current dance games do not facilitate social dancing between participants at remote locations or with virtual partners, relying primarily on visual and auditory cues which are inadequate for simulating the tactile feedback essential for social dance interactions.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a movement registration module and a tactile feedback actuator that interprets participant movements and provides tactile feedback, allowing social dancing with either a remote or virtual partner, using motion sensing devices and body-worn actuators to simulate the feedback of a dance partner.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If visual and auditory cues are used in dance games, then participants can interact with the game system, but the tactile feedback essential for social dance interactions is inadequate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces tactile feedback actuators as intermediaries between the participant's movements and the game system's responses. These actuators wear on the participant's body and provide haptic feedback that simulates the sensation of dancing with a partner, bridging the gap between visual/auditory cues and authentic tactile experience without requiring complex mechanical dance partners
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical systems that would physically simulate dance partner contact with electronic tactile feedback actuators. Instead of building mechanical structures to replicate dance partner movements and contact, the system uses sensors to detect participant movements and electronic actuators to provide simulated tactile feedback, significantly reducing device complexity while maintaining reliability
2Adaptability or versatility
If dance games provide predetermined dance routines with visual cues, then participants can follow instructions, but social dancing between partners at remote locations or with virtual partners is not facilitated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback system where tactile feedback actuators provide real-time haptic information to the participant based on their movements and the virtual or remote partner's responses. This feedback loop restores the tactile information that would normally be present in face-to-face social dancing, enabling adaptability for remote and virtual dance experiences while preventing loss of tactile feedback information
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal dance system that can accommodate multiple dance scenarios - dancing with a remote human partner, dancing with a virtual AI partner, or following predetermined routines. The same tactile feedback infrastructure serves all these functions, allowing the system to adapt to different social dancing needs without requiring separate systems for each mode
3Reliability
If tactile feedback actuators are worn on the body, then tactile feedback is provided to simulate dance partner feedback, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible, thin-film tactile feedback actuators that can be worn comfortably on the participant's body. These flexible actuators conform to body contours and provide tactile feedback without adding significant bulk or complexity, maintaining reliable simulation of dance partner contact while minimizing the impact on device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple functions into the body-worn tactile feedback device - movement sensing, feedback generation, and communication with the game system are integrated into a single wearable unit. This merging reduces the number of separate components and simplifies the overall device complexity while maintaining reliable tactile feedback simulation
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for enabling social dancing. The system comprising a movement registration module configured to monitor and identify movements by a participant; and a tactile feedback actuator configured to supply tactile feedback to the participant based on a determination by a logic module. The method performed by a computerized device, the method comprising: monitoring movements by a participant; determining feedback in response to the movements; and instructing a tactile feedback actuator to supply the feedback to the participant.