Feeling Fireworks: An Inclusive Tactile Firework Display

Dorothea Reusser, Espen Knoop, Roland Siegwart, Paul A. Beardsley

Abstract: This paper presents a novel design for a large-scale interactive tactile display. Fast dynamic tactile effects are created at high spatial resolution on a flexible screen, using directable nozzles that spray water jets onto the rear of the screen. The screen further has back-projected visual content and touch interaction. The technology is demonstrated in Feeling Fireworks, a tactile firework show. The goal is to make fireworks more inclusive for the Blind and Low-Vision (BLV) community. A BLV focus group provided input during the development process, and a user study with BLV users showed that Feeling Fireworks is an enjoyable and meaningful experience. A user study with sighted users showed that users could accurately label the correspondence between the designed tactile firework effects and corresponding visual fireworks. Beyond the Feeling Fireworks application, this is a novel approach for scalable tactile displays with potential for broader use.