Design of a pressure sensitive floor for multimodal sensing

Visualization and knowledge of detailed pressure information can play a vital role in multimodal sensing of human movement. We have designed a high-resolution pressure sensing floor prototype with a sensor density of one sensor per square centimeter that can provide real-time information about the location of the performer on the floor as well as the amount of pressure being exerted on the floor. Hardware and software have been developed for detecting, collecting, transmitting and rendering a graphical representation of the pressure data gathered from the sensors. This prototype can be easily reconfigured to cover large floor areas, and integrates closely with video, audio and motion-based sensing technologies to facilitate robust multimodal sensing. In our demonstrations, we show that the system accurately captures and transmits pressure information, and we illustrate how this forms a basis for a variety of applications including use in rehabilitation, virtual reality, entertainment, and children activity centers.