InflatableMod: Untethered and Reconfigurable Inflatable Modules for Tabletop-sized Pneumatic Physical Interfaces

Abstract

Inflatable systems have been attracting attention in the field of interaction design. Conventional tabletop-sized pneumatic systems tend to be complex because they require bulky and noisy equipment. Therefore, several liquid-to-gas phase change actuators that use vaporization have been proposed. But these actuators have problems with controllability, reusability, and reconfigurability. In this study, we propose InflatableMod, novel inflatable modules based on the efficient control of liquid-to-gas phase change actuators. These are designed with a compact circuit that has a liquid transfer function to feed the required amount of low-boiling-point liquid into the pouch and a heating function to inflate the pouch by the volume change. This approach allows for a compact, silent, and untethered inflatable system. It is also possible to create an untethered and reconfigurable multi-inflatable system because each module is synchronized. In this paper, we propose the design of the modules, evaluate their performance, and present application scenarios.