Prototype System for Ikebana Exercise with Haptic Device

We describe a prototype system for training the user in the art of ikebana, traditional Japanese flower arrangement. We have evaluated how well the user inserts a flower into a pinholder or ‘kenzan’. To obtain feedback on the force exerted onto the pinholder, we measured the force generated when the stem of a flower is inserted. We need to detect collisions that occur not only between the flowers and the pinholder but also among the flowers. Therefore, flower models have a hierarchical structure to perform the collision detection. According to the user's evaluations, they feel force when they are inserting a flower into a pinholder or when a flower they are holding contacts with another one already inserted in the pinholder.