Abstract
In this paper, we present a novel vibrotactile rendering algorithm for producing real-time tactile interactions suitable for virtual reality applications. The algorithm uses an energy model to produce smooth tactile sensations by continuously recalculating the location of a phantom actuator that represents a virtual touch point. It also employs syncopations in its rendered amplitude to produce artificial perceptual anchors that make the rendered vibrotactile patterns more recognizable. We conducted two studies to compare this Syncopated Energy algorithm to a standard real-time Grid Region algorithm for rendering touch patterns at different vibration amplitudes and frequencies. We found that the Grid Region algorithm afforded better recognition, but that the Syncopated Energy algorithm was perceived to produce smoother patterns at higher amplitudes. Additionally, we found that higher amplitudes afforded better recognition while a moderate amplitude yielded more perceived continuity. We also found that a higher frequency resulted in better recognition for fine-grained tactile sensations and that frequency can affect perceived continuity.
Highlights
The visual and auditory fidelity of virtual reality (VR) systems have dramatically increased with modern consumer technologies, such as the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive
The results of this study indicated that the Grid Region algorithm afforded significantly better recognition accuracy than our new Syncopated Energy algorithm
To assess the efficacy of the Syncopated Energy algorithm’s smooth tactile motions, we investigated the recognition accuracy and perceived continuity afforded by both algorithms for ten tactile patterns
Summary
The visual and auditory fidelity of virtual reality (VR) systems have dramatically increased with modern consumer technologies, such as the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive. Researchers have begun investigating the use of peripheral devices with multiple actuators, such as grid-based sleeves (Huisman et al, 2013) and vests with rows of motors (García-Valle et al, 2016), in attempts to increase the tactile fidelity of real-time interactions. Current vibrotactile rendering algorithms are limited in producing high-fidelity tactile sensations. Region-based algorithms offer low-latency tactile fidelity through real-time interactions by rendering to the actuator that represents the touched region (Huisman et al, 2013; García-Valle et al, 2016). Prior research has demonstrated that the resolution of the mapped regions has a significant effect on the quality of the tactile stimuli perceived (Tang et al, 2017). Region-based algorithms require greater tactile resolution to afford high-fidelity tactile stimuli. Researchers have demonstrated that apparent tactile motions can be effective with low-resolution tactile displays (Yanagida et al, 2004). Israr and Poupyrev (2011b)
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