Transtiff

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About #

In virtual reality (VR), replicating the sense of touch is crucial for creating immersive experiences. Traditionally, the stiffness of virtual objects has been represented by physically adjusting the stiffness of a corresponding real-world object placed in the environment. However, our research introduces a novel approach: instead of modifying the real object, we control the stiffness of the stylus held by the user. This manipulation creates the illusion that the virtual object itself has changed its stiffness.

Transtiff is a stylus-shaped interface equipped with a real-time adjustable stiffness mechanism. By integrating visual feedback, it induces haptic illusions, making rigid objects feel soft.

This innovative technology has the potential to revolutionize VR applications, including gaming, remote operations, and medical training, by providing a more natural and engaging haptic experience.

Publications #

• Ryoya Komatsu, Ayumu Ogura, Shigeo Yoshida, Kazutoshi Tanaka, and Yuichi Itoh. 2025. Transtiff: A Stylus-shaped Interface for Rendering Perceived Stiffness of Virtual Objects via Stylus Stiffness Control. In 2025 IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces (VR). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2502.09899

• Ayumu Ogura, Kodai Ito, Shigeo Yoshida, Kazutoshi Tanaka, and Yuichi Itoh. 2023. Transtiff: Haptic Interaction with a Stick Interface with Various Stiffness. In ACM SIGGRAPH 2023 Emerging Technologies (SIGGRAPH ‘23). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, Article 19, 1–2. https://doi.org/10.1145/3588037.3595402