publications | Jiasheng Li| about me

2025

Comparing Vibrotactile and Skin-Stretch Haptic Feedback for Conveying Spatial Information of Virtual Objects to Blind VR Users

Jiasheng Li, Zining Zhang, Zeyu Yan, Yuhang Zhao, and Huaishu Peng

IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, 2025

Abs PDF

Perceiving spatial information of a virtual object is critical yet challenging for blind users. To facilitate VR accessibility for blind users, we investigate the effectiveness of two types of haptic cues—vibrotactile and skin-stretch—in conveying the spatial information of a virtual object when applied to the dorsal side of a blind user’s hand. We conducted a user study with 10 blind users to investigate how they perceive static and moving objects. Our results reveal that blind users can more accurately understand an object’s location and movement when receiving skin-stretch cues, as opposed to vibrotactile cues. We discuss the pros and cons of both haptic cues and conclude with design recommendations for future haptic solutions.
The Design of On-Body Robots for Older Adults

Victor N. Antony, Clara Jeon, Jiasheng Li, Ge Gao, Huaishu Peng, and 2 more authors

In Proceedings of the 2025 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction, 2025

Abs PDF

Wearable technology has significantly improved the quality of life for older adults, and the emergence of on-body, movable robots presents new opportunities to further enhance well-being. Yet, the interaction design for these robots remains under-explored, particularly from the perspective of older adults. We present findings from a two-phase co-design process involving 13 older adults to uncover design principles for on-body robots for this population. We identify a spectrum of potential applications and characterize a design space to inform how on-body robots should be built for older adults. Our findings highlight the importance of considering factors like co-presence, embodiment, and multi-modal communication. Our work offers design insights to facilitate the integration of on-body robots into daily life and underscores the value of involving older adults in the co-design process to promote usability and acceptance of emerging wearable robotic technologies.
PCB Renewal: Iterative Reuse of PCB Substrates for Sustainable Electronic Prototyping

Zeyu Yan, Advait Vartak, Jiasheng Li, Zining Zhang, and Huaishu Peng

In Proceedings of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2025

Abs

PCB substrates are often single-use, resulting in material waste during design iterations and prototyping. We introduce PCB Renewal, a novel technique that “erases” and “reconfigures” circuit traces by selectively depositing conductive epoxy on outdated areas, transforming isolated paths into conductive planes supporting new traces. We present PCB Renewal workflow and evaluate its electrical performance and mechanical durability. We modeled the sustainability impact of PCB Renewal by calculating the material usage, cost, power, and time consumption for renewing PCB versus using new substrates. We implement a custom EDA software plug-in that guides epoxy deposition, generates updated profiles, and calculates resource use. We showcase the effectiveness of PCB Renewal with a set of walkthrough examples, where a single PCB substrate is reused through four design iterations across three different projects: a wireless camera roller, a WiFi radio, and an ESPboy game console. The paper concludes by discussing limitations and proposing future directions.

2024

JetUnit: Rendering Diverse Force Feedback in Virtual Reality Using Water Jets

Zining Zhang, Jiasheng Li, Zeyu Yan, Jun Nishida, and Huaishu Peng

In Proceedings of the 37th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology, 2024

Abs DOI PDF Video

We propose JetUnit, a water-based VR haptic system designed to produce force feedback with a wide spectrum of intensities and frequencies through water jets. The key challenge in designing this system lies in optimizing parameters to enable the haptic device to generate force feedback that closely replicates the most intense force produced by direct water jets while ensuring the user remains dry. In this paper, we present the key design parameters of the JetUnit wearable device determined through a set of quantitative experiments and a perception study. We further conducted a user study to assess the impact of integrating our haptic solutions into virtual reality experiences. The results revealed that, by adhering to the design principles of JetUnit, the water-based haptic system is capable of delivering diverse force feedback sensations, significantly enhancing the immersive experience in virtual reality.
SolderlessPCB: Reusing Electronic Components in PCB Prototyping through Detachable 3D Printed Housings

Zeyu Yan, Jiasheng Li, Zining Zhang, and Huaishu Peng

In Proceedings of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2024

Abs DOI PDF Video

The iterative prototyping process for printed circuit boards (PCBs) frequently employs surface-mounted device (SMD) components, which are often discarded rather than reused due to the challenges associated with desoldering, leading to unnecessary electronic waste. This paper introduces SolderlessPCB, a collection of techniques for solder-free PCB prototyping, specifically designed to promote the recycling and reuse of electronic components. Central to this approach are custom 3D-printable housings that allow SMD components to be mounted onto PCBs without soldering. We detail the design of SolderlessPCB and the experiments conducted to evaluate its design parameters, electrical performance, and durability. To illustrate the potential for reusing SMD components with SolderlessPCB, we discuss two scenarios: the reuse of components from earlier design iterations and from obsolete prototypes. We also provide examples demonstrating that SolderlessPCB can handle high-current applications and is suitable for high-speed data transmission. The paper concludes by discussing the limitations of our approach and suggesting future directions to overcome these challenges.

2023

Toucha11y: Making Inaccessible Public Touchscreens Accessible

Jiasheng Li, Zeyu Yan, Arush Shah, Jonathan Lazar, and Huaishu Peng

In Proceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2023

Abs DOI PDF Video

Despite their growing popularity, many public kiosks with touchscreens are inaccessible to blind people. Toucha11y is a working prototype that allows blind users to use existing inaccessible touchscreen kiosks independently and with little effort. Toucha11y consists of a mechanical bot that can be instrumented to an arbitrary touchscreen kiosk by a blind user and a companion app on their smartphone. The bot, once attached to a touchscreen, will recognize its content, retrieve the corresponding information from a database, and render it on the user’s smartphone. As a result, a blind person can use the smartphone’s built-in accessibility features to access content and make selections. The mechanical bot will detect and activate the corresponding touchscreen interface. We present the system design of Toucha11y along with a series of technical evaluations. Through a user study, we found out that Toucha11y could help blind users operate inaccessible touchscreen devices.
A Framework for Active Haptic Guidance Using Robotic Haptic Proxies

L. Niall Williams, Jiasheng Li, and C. Ming Lin

In 2023 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2023

Abs DOI PDF Video

Haptic feedback is an important component of creating an immersive virtual experience. Traditionally, haptic forces are rendered in response to the user’s interactions with the virtual environment. In this work, we explore the idea of rendering haptic forces in a proactive manner, with the explicit intention to influence the user’s behavior through compelling haptic forces. To this end, we present a framework for active haptic guidance in mixed reality, using one or more robotic haptic proxies to influence user behavior and deliver a safer and more immersive virtual experience. We provide details on common challenges that need to be overcome when implementing active haptic guidance, and discuss example applications that show how active haptic guidance can be used to influence the user’s behavior. Finally, we apply active haptic guidance to a virtual reality navigation problem, and conduct a user study that demonstrates how active haptic guidance creates a safer and more immersive experience for users.

2022

TangibleGrid: Tangible Web Layout Design for Blind Users

Jiasheng Li, Zeyu Yan, Ebrima Haddy Jarjue, Ashrith Shetty, and Huaishu Peng

In Proceedings of the 35th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology, 2022

Abs DOI PDF Video

We present TangibleGrid, a novel device that allows blind users to understand and design the layout of a web page with real-time tangible feedback. We conducted semi-structured interviews and a series of co-design sessions with blind users to elicit insights that guided the design of TangibleGrid. Our final prototype contains shape-changing brackets representing the web elements and a baseboard representing the web page canvas. Blind users can design a web page layout through creating and editing web elements by snapping or adjusting tangible brackets on top of the baseboard. The baseboard senses the brackets’ type, size, and location, verbalizes the information, and renders the web page on the client browser. Through a formative user study, we found that blind users could understand a web page layout through TangibleGrid. They were also able to design a new web layout from scratch without the help of sighted people.
Calico: Relocatable On-cloth Wearables with Fast, Reliable, and Precise Locomotion

Anup Sathya, Jiasheng Li, Tauhidur Rahman, Ge Gao, and Huaishu Peng

Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies, 2022

Abs DOI PDF Video

We explore Calico, a miniature relocatable wearable system with fast and precise locomotion for on-body interaction, actuation and sensing. Calico consists of a two-wheel robot and an on-cloth track mechanism or "railway," on which the robot travels. The robot is self-contained, small in size, and has additional sensor expansion options. The track system allows the robot to move along the user’s body and reach any predetermined location. It also includes rotational switches to enable complex routing options when diverging tracks are presented. We report the design and implementation of Calico with a series of technical evaluations for system performance. We then present a few application scenarios, and user studies to understand the potential of Calico as a dance trainer and also explore the qualitative perception of our scenarios to inform future research in this space.

2015

An experimental investigation of pool boiling heat transfer on smooth/rib surfaces under an electric field

Xiaojun Quan, Ming Gao, Ping Cheng, and Jiasheng Li

International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2015

Abs DOI

The electrohydrodynamic (EHD) enhancement of pool boiling from smooth and ribs surfaces in R113 is studied experimentally in this paper. Measurements and visualization methods are utilized to record and observe boiling heat transfer phenomena on heated surfaces with different rib heights (0mm, 0.2mm, 0.5mm and 2.0mm), and the “field trap effect” on rib surfaces is discussed. It is found that the boiling curve under an imposed electric field can be divided into three regions: low-superheat, medium-superheat and high-superheat regions, and EHD enhancement mechanisms on pool boiling heat transfer in these regions are investigated. In the low-superheat region, electroconvection is the main mechanism for heat transfer enhancement. In the medium-superheat region, both electroconvection and nucleate boiling heat transfer exist but bubble growth and departure are inhibited by the electrical force, and thus nucleate boiling heat transfer deteriorates. In the high-superheat region, because vapor columns are broken into small vapor slugs under the action of the electrical force, boiling heat transfer and critical heat flux are thus enhanced.