UBC Computer Science SPIN Lab Wins First Place at World Haptics 2015 Student Innovation Challenge

On June 25, 2015, a team from the UBC SPIN (Sensory Perception and Interaction Research ) Lab consisting of Brenna Li, Gordon Minaker, Paul Bucci, and Oliver Schneider (supervised by Prof. Karon MacLean) won first place at the World Haptics 2015 Student Innovation Challenge. This challenge was the first of its kind at a haptics conference, offering student teams an opportunity to solve a problem by programming the TPad Phone, a variable-friction display that allows users to feel texture on a touch screen. The UBC team’s project, RoughSketch, explored different interaction techniques through a drawing app, like an ink pen writing on paper, the slipperiness of finger painting, and the friction of a rubber eraser. RoughSketch was voted the best of 25 applicants and 9 finalists, netting the team a cash prize and a Microsoft Surface each.

You can see their project video here.