Low Cost and Scalable Haptic VR Glove

Abstract

Virtual Reality (VR) is a subset of computer graphics where computers generate simulated environments. VR allows users to experience a virtual three-dimensional world where scenes and objects seem real. Wearable human machine interfaces (HMI) like helmets, gloves, etc are essential in making the experience feel realistic and interactive. Gloves in particular stimulate the sense of touch, which in some ways, is equally as important as visual stimulation. Developing a glove is a multi-faceted problem. Accurately tracking hand movement and delivering contextually appropriate feedback to the user in response to the events in the VR environment are the two main challenges. This paper proposes a scalable and low-cost haptic VR glove design that can accurately track and convey hand movement and finger flexion data. The design also incorporates the haptic primary colors (HPC), i.e., the design can stimulate the full gamut of touch senses, namely force, vibration, and temperature. The design makes use of flex sensors to track finger flexion. Inertial measurement units (IMUs) were used to track hand movement and rotation. A Bluetooth module communicates with a microcontroller connected to the VR environment. A vibro-thermal unit delivers the sense of vibration as well as temperature change. Servo motors were used to restrict finger movement in order to simulate force feedback. A prototype was built which was based on the proposed design. The prototype was tested in an integrated game development environment. It accurately emulated hand movement and reliably delivered a sense of touch by means of vibration and force feedback from the dedicated motors.