VR360HD: a VR360° player with enhanced haptic feedback

Abstract

We present a VR360° video player with haptic feedback playback. The VR360HD application enhances VR viewing experience by triggering customized haptic effects associated with user's activities, biofeedback, network messages and customizable timeline triggers incorporated in the VR media. The app is developed in the Unity3D game engine and tested using a GearVR headset, therefore allowing users to add animations to VR gameplay and to the VR360° streams. A custom haptic plugin allows users to author and associate animated haptic effects to the triggers, and playback these effects on a custom haptic hardware, the Haptic Chair. We show that the VR360HD app creates rich tactile effects and can be easily adapted to other media types.