Abstract
Visuo-haptic mixed reality (VHMR) adds virtual objects to a real scene and enables users to see and also touch them via a see-through display and a haptic device. Most studies with kinesthetic feedback use general-purpose haptic devices, which require the user to continuously hold an attached stylus. This approach constrains users to the mechanical limits of the device even when it is not needed. In this paper, we propose a novel VHMR concept with an encountered-type haptic display (ETHD), which consists of a precision hexapod positioner and a six-axis force/torque transducer. The main contribution is that the users work with unbound real-life tools with tracking markers. ETHD’s end-effector remains inside the virtual object and follows the tooltip to engage only during an interaction. We have developed a simulation setup and experimentally evaluated the relative accuracy and synchronization of the three major processes, namely tool tracking, haptic rendering, and visual rendering. The experiments successfully build-up to a simple simulation scenario where a tennis ball with a fixed center is deformed by the user.
Highlights
Visuo-haptic mixed reality (VHMR) combines real and virtual objects in the same simulation environment, where a user can see and touch the objects in the scene
The colocation of visual and touch stimuli in VHMR brings new technological challenges that do not exist in conventional delocated virtual reality haptics
We propose a novel VHMR concept with an encountered-type haptic display (ETHD) (Figure 1)
Summary
Visuo-haptic mixed reality (VHMR) combines real and virtual objects in the same simulation environment, where a user can see and touch the objects in the scene. Visual perception of surface roughness is improved by touch [1], and haptic perception of stiffness is enhanced by vision [2] in virtual environments. The colocation of visual and touch stimuli in VHMR brings new technological challenges that do not exist in conventional delocated virtual reality haptics. Barehand interaction is mostly limited to surface haptics with tactile stimuli [14,15]. Being at an experimental level, wearable devices such as haptic gloves extend the simulation to have kinesthetic feedback [16,17,18].
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