Modulating weight perception of objects haptic stimulation

The Inria center at the University of Rennes is one of eight Inria centers and has more than thirty research teams. The Inria center is a major and recognized player in the field of digital sciences. It is at the heart of a rich ecosystem of R&D and innovation, including highly innovative SMEs, large industrial groups, competitiveness clusters, research and higher education institutions, centers of excellence, and technological research institutes.

The 6-month internship will take place in the Seamless team at IRISA Rennes. The team specializes in human-computer interactions, haptics and virtual reality.

Virtual reality allows the creation of different environments, and users can interact with virtual objects. However, these virtual objects are intangible, so users don’t perceive force and tactile sensations (also called haptic feedback) when grasping them, and this major drawback makes their manipulations difficult. An interesting approach to overcome this issue is to represent virtual objects with physical ones (often 3D printing), called tangibles.

These tangibles can take different shapes, sizes, or have different textures, but still struggle to display different weight. During the internship, the intern will explore how tangibles can be augmented with haptic feedback to render different weights sensations.

The intern will design tangible interfaces based on 3D printing techniques and augment them with haptic feedback. The intern will then conduct user experiences to test for the influence of haptic feedback on weight perception. The internship could lead to writing a scientific paper, depending on the advancement.

• Designing and implementing tangible augmented with haptic feedback (CAO, 3D printing)
• Programming of sensors to infer information on grasping (Arduino).
• Conducting perception studies to test the influence on weight perception.
• Writing of a scientific paper.
• Skills in programming
• CAO and 3D design AND/OR in mechanical engineering, robotics
• Curiosity and adaptability
• Ability to write in English

• Partial reimbursement of public transport costs
• Leave: 7 weeks of annual leave + 10 extra days off due to RTT (statutory reduction in working hours) + possibility of exceptional leave (sick children, moving home, etc.)

Please submit online : your resume, cover letter