Stylus for 3D drawing with motion capture

2016

Role: Creative Technologist

Team: Collaboration with Madeline Gannon

Wireless bluetooth stylus for 3D drawing with a Optitrack motion capture system. This project was a collaboration with Madeline Gannon for her Human-Robot Interaction Research.

 

Built on the Lightblue Bean bluetooth micro-controller (Arduino compatible), this stylus incorporates a capacitive sensing circuit to sketch directly on the body when the tip comes in contact with the skin. Additionally, it features a momentary push button circuit, enabling the user to execute freeform 3D drawings. Circuit details, code and .stl are available at Instructables.com.

 

From Human Arm to Robot Arm

This work is part of larger research in Human-Robot Interaction. The goal is to unify the worlds of the Optitrack Motion Capture System, a UR5 robot arm and a human. This stylus enables us to relate an object to its virtual counterpart using a tangible and familiar interface.

 
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Circuit Design

The circuit makes use of simple capacitive sensing and bluetooth to signal skin contact and trigger motion capture.

 
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Who did it better?

Pre-dating the HTC Vive Tilt Brush, we explored three-dimensional interfacing between the virtual and physical worlds. Which do you prefer, the brush or the pencil?