A multi-modal floor-space for experiencing material deformation underfoot in virtual reality

We present a floor-space design that provides the impression of walking on various terrains by rendering graphical, audio and haptic stimuli synchronously with low latency. Currently, interactive floors tend to focus on visual and auditory feedback but have neglected to explore the role of haptics. Our design recreates these three modalities in a direct manner where the sensors and reactive cues are located in the same area. The goal of this project is the creation of a realistic and dynamic area of ground that allows multiple, untethered users to engage in intuitive interaction via locomotion in a virtual or augmented reality environment.