Enhancing Virtual Material Perception with Vibrotactile and Visual Cues

Abstract

The ability to feel is crucial for a more realistic Virtual Reality (VR) experience. This research demo presents a way to enhance the VR experience through the use of a lightweight glove that provides vibrotactile feedback, allowing the user to feel the stiffness of virtual objects of different materials. The glove uses dielectric elastomer sensors and piezoelectric vibrotactile actuators, and is able to accurately convey the sensation of compressing various real-world objects through vibrotactile and visual cues. This demonstration presents a novel combination of visual information and vibrotactile feedback that has been shown to significantly improve a user's engagement with a VR environment