Search for: All records

Efficient performance and acquisition of physical skills, from sports techniques to surgical procedures, require instruction and feedback. In the absence of a human expert, Mixed Reality Intelligent Task Support (MixITS) can offer a promising alternative. These systems integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Mixed Reality (MR) to provide realtime feedback and instruction as users practice and learn skills using physical tools and objects. However, designing MixITS systems presents challenges beyond engineering complexities. The complex interactions between users, AI, MR interfaces, and the physical environment create unique design obstacles. To address these challenges, we present MixITS-Kit—an interaction design toolkit derived from our analysis of MixITS prototypes developed by eight student teams during a 10-week-long graduate course. Our toolkit comprises design considerations, design patterns, and an interaction canvas. Our evaluation suggests that the toolkit can serve as a valuable resource for novice practitioners designing MixITS systems and researchers developing new tools for human-AI interaction design. 

New printing strategies have enabled 3D-printed materials that imitate traditional textiles. These filament-based textiles are easy to fabricate but lack the look and feel of fiber textiles. We seek to augment 3D-printed textiles with needlecraft to produce composite materials that integrate the programmability of additive fabrication with the richness of traditional textile craft. We present PunchPrint: a technique for integrating fiber and filament in a textile by combining punch needle embroidery and 3D printing. Using a toolpath that imitates textile weave structure, we print a flexible fabric that provides a substrate for punch needle production. We evaluate our material’s robustness through tensile strength and needle compatibility tests. We integrate our technique into a parametric design tool and produce functional artifacts that show how PunchPrint broadens punch needle craft by reducing labor in small, detailed artifacts, enabling the integration of openings and multiple yarn weights, and scaffolding soft 3D structures.