To ‘Sketch-a-Scratch’

A surface can be harsh and raspy, or smooth and silky,
and everything in between. We are used to sense these
features with our fingertips as well as with our eyes and
ears: the exploration of a surface is a multisensory experience.
Tools, too, are often employed in the interaction
with surfaces, since they augment our manipulation capabilities.
“Sketch-a-Scratch” is a tool for the multisensory
exploration and sketching of surface textures. The user’s
actions drive a physical sound model of real materials’ response
to interactions such as scraping, rubbing or rolling.
Moreover, different input signals can be converted into 2D
visual surface profiles, thus enabling to experience them
visually, aurally and haptically.