Toward Handling the Complexities of Non-Anthropomorphic Hands

Virtual reality allows us to operate bodies that differ substantially from our own. However, avatars with different topologies than the human form require control schemes and interfaces that effectively translate between user and avatar. In this position paper, we discuss the concept of ”non-anthropomorphic designs” that are inhuman in not just appearance, but in topology and/or motion. We examine current implementations of real and virtual non-anthropomorphic hands (NAHs), finding that existing NAHs generally rely on one-to-one or reductionist control strategies that limit their possible forms. We discuss the structure of a functional NAH system and design considerations for each component, including metrics for evaluating NAH system performance. The terminology and design considerations presented here support future research on NAHs in virtual and physical reality, as well as virtual and physical tool design, the body schema, and novel control interfaces and mappings.