Liquido: Embedding Liquids into 3D Printed Objects to Sense Tilting and Motion

Tilting and motion are widely used as interaction modalities in smart objects such as wearables and smart phones (e.g., to detect posture or shaking). They are often sensed with accelerometers. In this paper, we propose to embed liquids into 3D printed objects while printing to sense various tilting and motion interactions via capacitive sensing. This method reduces the assembly effort after printing and is a low-cost and easy-to-apply way of extending the input capabilities of 3D printed objects. We contribute two liquid sensing patterns and a practical printing process using a standard dual-extrusion 3D printer and commercially available materials. We validate the method by a series of evaluations and provide a set of interactive example applications.

People

  • Martin Schmitz
  • Andreas Leister
  • Niloofar Dezfuli
  • Jan Riemann
  • Florian Müller
  • Max Mühlhäuser