Augmented foot interfaces have been studied since the beginning of wearable computers. The world’s first wearable computer was an instrumented shoe that consisted of a toe operated switch with a wireless module. Since then, academic research and commercial products on augmented foot interfaces have been booming, with novel interfaces every year. However, there are still areas in the foot augmentation domain that have not been widely explored yet. My Ph.D. research aims to contribute new concepts that will complement previous research in the domain of foot augmentation. To accomplish this, first, I conducted a literature review classifying all the prior work, that helped identify three potential applications where foot augmentation devices can be beneficial. In my first application, I developed a smart shoe to detect acute stress during sedentary tasks, where foot augmentation acts as an input device. In the second application, I developed an output foot augmentation device to provide tickling stimulation that induces fun and causes laughter. As my third application, I present a novel input/output foot augmentation device that senses the Centre of Pressure, an important bio-mechanical parameter. The device was used to improve exercise posture while the wearer was performing squats and deadlifts. Finally, based on the outcome of my thesis work, I suggest design considerations for future research on augmented foot interfaces which will be helpful for HCI researchers and practitioners.

About Dr. Don Samitha Elvitigala

University of Auckland

Samitha Elvitigala completed his Phd from Augmented Human Lab in Auckland Bioengineering Institute of the University of Auckland. During his PhD, he investigated novel wearable interfaces that can implicitly understand the physical and mental behaviors of humans. His research interests include Human-Computer Interaction, Ubiquitous Computing, and Assistive Augmentation.

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