REU • Research Experience for Undergraduates

Physicalizing Tacit Skills in Neon Bending with Breathing Sensory Data (2024)

Description

The practice of glass bending involves a series of complex actions, including precise hand movements and controlled blowing. However, beginners face a steep learning curve in mastering instinctive blowing patterns due to the nature of tacit knowledge and hands-on experience. By employing smart sensors such as Inertial Measurement Units and pressure sensors to track the blowing strengths of expert glass benders, new facets of tacit skills are revealed. We sensify this data in our novel Sensor Caption video tutorial platform, expanding the idea of a caption from text to new mind-muscle perceptions. Through a user study evaluation, we find sensor captions effective at developing tacit skill in neon bending and contribute a qualitative review of vibrotactile, color, and sonic feedback mechanisms for learning.