Elizabeth Childs

KITE Lets Learners Feel Forces in Digital Physics Simulations

Elizabeth Childs, a Stanford PhD candidate, presents KITE as a way to make forces in physics simulations physically perceptible. The hand-moved robot travels freely until a learner encounters a virtual object or force, then pushes back with corresponding force or torque. Childs argues that this combination of tangible movement and responsive feedback lets students explore relationships such as lift, molecular attraction and friction through physical interaction rather than screen representations alone.