Tactile Dowsing

An interaction technique that uses vibrotactile feedback to guide a user toward a target direction in space without visual cues. The term draws an analogy to water dowsing, where a divining rod supposedly reacts when pointing toward the target. In tactile dowsing, a handheld controller vibrates with pulses that become more frequent and continuous as the user points closer to the target direction, creating a haptic "warmer/colder" signal. Originally developed for accessible exergames for blind players, the technique combines infrared position sensing with a vibrotactile motor to transform visual-spatial aiming challenges into tactile ones. Tactile dowsing has potential applications in navigation, sports, and other physical activities that involve directional targeting.