SandTouch: Empowering Virtual Sand Art in VR with AI Guidance and Emotional Relief

Sand painting is a highly aesthetic and valuable form of art but often constrained by the need for specific equipment and the associated learning curve. To address these challenges, we developed a VR sand painting system, SandTouch, offering an immersive and intuitive sand painting experience that closely mirrors the interaction with physical sand. Leveraging advanced gesture recognition technology, SandTouch allows users to create intricate sand art in a virtual environment, capturing the fine sensations of real sand manipulation along with realistic sound feedback. The integration of AI agent further enhances the experience by intelligently interpreting users’ creative intentions based on real-time interactions, offering contextually relevant artistic suggestions. Comprehensive evaluations have demonstrated a significant increase in user engagement and immersion. Furthermore, the realistic sound feedback enhances emotional relief and deepens the painting experience.