arXiv subjects

Rakesh Patibanda

Publications and source records attributed to Rakesh Patibanda.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Grand Challenges around Designing Computers' Control Over Our Bodies

Advances in emerging technologies, such as on-body mechanical actuators and electrical muscle stimulation, have allowed computers to take control over our bodies. This presents opportunities as well as challenges, raising fundamental questions about agency and the role of our bodies when interacting with technology. To advance this research field as a whole, we brought together expert perspectives in a week-long seminar to articulate the grand challenges that should be tackled when it comes to the design of computers' control over our bodies. These grand challenges span technical, design, user, and ethical aspects. By articulating these grand challenges, we aim to begin initiating a research agenda that positions bodily control not only as a technical feature but as a central, experiential, and ethical concern for future human-computer interaction endeavors.

cs.HC↗

arXiv2025

Nudging the Somas: Exploring How Live-Configurable Mixed Reality Objects Shape Open-Ended Intercorporeal Movements

Mixed Reality (MR) increasingly explores how virtual elements can shape physical behavior, yet how MR objects guide group movement remains underexplored. We address this gap by examining how virtual objects can nudge collective, co-located movement without relying on explicit instructions or choreography. We developed GravField, a research-through-design, co-located MR performance system where an "object jockey" live-configures virtual objects (e.g., ropes, springs, magnetic fields) with real-time, parameterized "digital physics" (e.g., weight, elasticity, force) to influence headset-wearing participants' movement, made perceptible through augmented visual and audio feedback serving as cognitive-somatic cues. Our bricolage analysis of the performances, based on video, interviews, soma trajectories, and field notes, indicates that these live nudges support emergent intercorporeal coordination and that ambiguity and real-time configuration sustain open-ended, exploratory engagement. Ultimately, our work offers empirical insights and design principles for MR systems that can guide group movement through embodied, felt dynamics while preserving participants' sense of agency.

cs.HC↗

arXiv2023

Fused Spectatorship: Designing Bodily Experiences Where Spectators Become Players

Spectating digital games can be exciting. However, due to its vicarious nature, spectators often wish to engage in the gameplay beyond just watching and cheering. To blur the boundaries between spectators and players, we propose a novel approach called "Fused Spectatorship", where spectators watch their hands play games by loaning bodily control to a computational Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) system. To showcase this concept, we designed three games where spectators loan control over both their hands to the EMS system and watch them play these competitive and collaborative games. A study with 12 participants suggested that participants could not distinguish if they were watching their hands play, or if they were playing the games themselves. We used our results to articulate four spectator experience themes and four fused spectator types, the behaviours they elicited and offer one design consideration to support each of these behaviours. We also discuss the ethical design considerations of our approach to help game designers create future fused spectatorship experiences.

cs.HC↗

arXiv2023

Auto-Paízo Games: Towards Understanding the Design of Games that Aim to Unify a Player's Physical Body and the Virtual World

Most digital bodily games focus on the body as they use movement as input. However, they also draw the player's focus away from the body as the output occurs on visual displays, creating a divide between the physical body and the virtual world. We propose a novel approach - the "Body as a Play Material" - where a player uses their body as both input and output to unify the physical body and the virtual world. To showcase this approach, we designed three games where a player uses one of their hands (input) to play against the other hand (output) by loaning control over its movements to an Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) system. We conducted a thematic analysis on the data obtained from a field study with 12 participants to articulate four player experience themes. We discuss our results about how participants appreciated the engagement with the variety of bodily movements for play and the ambiguity of using their body as a play material. Ultimately, our work aims to unify the physical body and the virtual world.

cs.HC↗

arXiv2021

Myopic Bike and Say Hi: Games for Empathizing with The Myopic

Myopia is an eye condition that makes it difficult for people to focus on faraway objects. It has become one of the most serious eye conditions worldwide and negatively impacts the quality of life of those who suffer from it. Although myopia is prevalent, many non-myopic people have misconceptions about it and encounter challenges empathizing with myopia situations and those who suffer from it. In this research, we developed two virtual reality (VR) games, (1) Myopic Bike and (2) Say Hi, to provide a means for the non-myopic population to experience the frustration and difficulties of myopic people. Our two games simulate two inconvenient daily life scenarios (riding a bicycle and greeting someone on the street) that myopic people encounter when not wearing glasses. We evaluated four participants' game experiences through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Overall, our two VR games can create an engaging and non-judgmental experience for the non-myopic population to better understand and empathize with those who suffer from myopia.

cs.HC↗

arXiv2021

vrCAPTCHA: Exploring CAPTCHA Designs in Virtual Reality

With the popularity of online access in virtual reality (VR) devices, it will become important to investigate exclusive and interactive CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart) designs for VR devices. In this paper, we first present four traditional two-dimensional (2D) CAPTCHAs (i.e., text-based, image-rotated, image-puzzled, and image-selected CAPTCHAs) in VR. Then, based on the three-dimensional (3D) interaction characteristics of VR devices, we propose two vrCAPTCHA design prototypes (i.e., task-driven and bodily motion-based CAPTCHAs). We conducted a user study with six participants for exploring the feasibility of our two vrCAPTCHAs and traditional CAPTCHAs in VR. We believe that our two vrCAPTCHAs can be an inspiration for the further design of CAPTCHAs in VR.

cs.HC↗