A Wearable Fingertip Cutaneous Haptic Device with Continuous Omnidirectional Motion Feedback

The haptic interface or force feedback device improves the quality of human computer interaction by accommodating the sense of touch in a computer simulation. A haptic device enables a two way communication between the user and the host computer. The applications of force feedback device cover a wide area such as in medical training, systems for the visually impaired, engineering research, and creative art-work. The role of haptic feedback varies depending on the applications in question and the devices used. This includes haptic as a teaching tool, and a communication aid. Despite the benefits of haptic feedback, its deployment to support interactions in a virtual environment is still slow. This is due to the high cost of the haptic devices in the market. We address this issue by presenting a conceptual framework in designing and implementing a cost-effective haptic device; building on similar concepts obtained from existing technologies. The device is developed using those gadgets that are mainly available in-house. It is projected that haptic feedback generated from the device could benefit teaching abstract concepts to students.

Camera drones allow exploring remote scenes that are inaccessible or inappropriate to visit in person. However, these exploration experiences are often limited due to insufficient scene information provided by front cameras, where only 2D images or videos are supplied. Combining a camera drone vision with haptic feedback would augment users' spatial understandings of the remote environment. But such designs are usually difficult for users to learn and apply, due to the complexity of the system and unfluent UAV control. In this paper, we present a new telepresence system for remote environment exploration, with a drone agent controlled by a VR mid-air panel. The drone is capable of generating real-time location and landmark details using integrated Simultaneous Location and Mapping (SLAM). The SLAMs' point cloud generations are produced using RGB input, and the results are passed to a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) to reconstruct 3D remote scenes in real-time. The reconstructed objects are taken advantage of by haptic devices which could improve user experience through haptic rendering. Capable of providing both visual and haptic feedback, our system allows users to examine and exploit remote areas without having to be physically present. An experiment has been conducted to verify the usability of 3D reconstruction result in haptic feedback rendering.

In this paper, we present a study that evaluates the effect of visual and haptic feedbacks and their relevance to human performance in a needle insertion task. A virtual needle insertion simulator with a four-layer tissue model (skin, fat, muscle, and bone) and haptic feedback is used for perceptual experiments. The task was to detect the puncture of a particular layer using haptic and visual cues provided by the simulation. The results show that the addition of force feedback reduces error in detection of transitions between tissue layers by at least 55%. The addition of real-time visual feedback (image overlay) improved user performance by at least 87% in scenarios without force feedback. Presentation of both force and visual feedback improved performance by at least 43% in comparison to scenarios without feedback. These results suggest that real-time image overlay provides greater improvement in performance than force feedback.

One of the elements that make up VR is “self-projection”. This is to create a state where a person can enter the virtual space and experience it as a first person. If not only HMD but also haptic devices can be used to touch and move objects in the virtual space with the haptic sensation, it is thought that self-projection performance will improve. Therefore, we developed a haptic device with two rings (two-point control type SPIDAR-GCC) so that the user can perform knob operation in the same way as in reality. And we constructed workspaces in virtual and real space with highly similarity to investigate the difference between the work performed in virtual space and in real space. Using this device and HMD, the experimental participants were asked to accomplish a pick-and-place task which is pinching the peg with two fingers and insert it into the hole in the pegboard. In this experiment, the difference in the manner to move objects between in real space and in virtual space was observed. It was mainly due to the errors of measuring the displacements of fingers in the haptic device.

Haptic feedback provides an essential sensory stimulus crucial for interaction and analyzing three-dimensional spatio-temporal phenomena on surface visualizations. Given its ability to provide enhanced spatial perception and scene maneuverability, virtual reality (VR) catalyzes haptic interactions on surface visualizations. Various interaction modes, encompassing both mid-air and on-surface interactions-with or without the application of assisting force stimuli-have been explored using haptic force feedback devices. In this paper, we evaluate the use of on-surface and assisted on-surface haptic modes of interaction compared to a no-haptic interaction mode. A force-based haptic stylus is used for all three modalities; the on-surface mode uses collision based forces, whereas the assisted on-surface mode is accompanied by an additional snapping force. We conducted a within-subjects user study involving fundamental interaction tasks performed on surface visualizations. Keeping a consistent visual design across all three modes, our study incorporates tasks that require the localization of the highest, lowest, and random points on surfaces; and tasks that focus on brushing curves on surfaces with varying complexity and occlusion levels. Our findings show that participants took almost the same time to brush curves using all the interaction modes. They could draw smoother curves using the on-surface interaction modes compared to the no-haptic mode. However, the assisted on-surface mode provided better accuracy than the on-surface mode. The on-surface mode was slower in point localization, but the accuracy depended on the visual cues and occlusions associated with the tasks. Finally, we discuss participant feedback on using haptic force feedback as a tangible input modality and share takeaways to aid the design of haptics-based tangible interactions for surface visualizations.

Teleoperated minimally invasive surgical robots can significantly enhance a surgeon's accuracy, dexterity and visualization. However, current commercially available systems do not include significant haptic (force and tactile) feedback to the operator. This paper describes experiments to characterize this problem, as well as several methods to provide haptic feedback in order to improve surgeon's performance. There exist a variety of sensing and control methods that enable haptic feedback, although a number of practical considerations, e.g. cost, complexity and biocompatibility, present significant challenges. The ability of teleoperated robot-assisted surgical systems to measure and display haptic information leads to a number of additional exciting clinical and scientific opportunities, such as active operator assistance through "virtual fixtures" and the automatic acquisition of tissue properties.

This paper presents the development of a novel virtual reality (VR) machine learning (ML) framework that incorporates haptic feedback to improve sports training scenarios. The framework uses You Look Only Once (YoLo) for object detection, and combines it with ensemble learning to analyze the performance of athletes in a simulated environment and provide real-time feedbacks. The system includes haptic feedback devices that are controlled via Grey Wolf Optimization (GWO) to simulate the physical sensation of a real-world sports scenario, allowing athletes to experience the sensation of force, impact, and movements. The proposed system was tested using a group of professional athletes who participated in various sports, including football, basketball, and tennis. The athletes were asked to perform various training scenarios in the virtual environment, and their performance was compared with their real-world performance levels. The results showed that the proposed system improved the athletes' performance significantly, as they were able to receive immediate and accurate feedback on their movements, and the haptic feedback provided a realistic sensory experience that enhanced their trainings. The proposed research has the potential to revolutionize sports training by providing athletes with an efficient and effective way to improve their performance in a set of safe and controlled environments. The system can be customized to suit various sports and training scenarios, and the ML algorithms can be trained on large datasets to improve their accuracy and effectiveness. The incorporation of haptic feedback provides a unique and realistic experience, making the training more engaging and effective under real-time scenarios. The proposed system showcased an accuracy 93.5%, with 3.5% higher precision, and 4.9% higher recall than existing models, which has the potential to enhance athletic performance and revolutionize the way athletes train for different sports.

Haptic feedback is important to improve the operability of virtual objects. However, AR systems with haptic feedback are still not many. Moreover, users cannot perform tasks that need large workspaces in those systems because of physical constraints from haptic feedback devices. In this paper, we combined a wearable haptic device and a marker-less AR technology to develop an AR system in which users can perform activities that need large workspaces. Differences of the operability of virtual objects in an assembly task of large machines are examined to evaluate effects of the haptic feedback in this system. The result indicates that haptic feedback is effective and users can perform activities that need large space in this system.

Periodic Kinesthetic Guidance Cannot Expedite Learning Surgical Skills.

The present paper focuses on the cognitive modelling of literary text space. The aim of the research was to conduct a comparative study of the cognitive proxemic models of the subconcepts “virtual space” and “real space”, as represented in the multicultural novel «Walking in Two Worlds» by W. Kinew. In accordance with E.A. Ogneva’s research, a cognitive model of literary text space is defined as a construct which demonstrates the correlation between various constituents of the nominative field of the literary concept “space”, which is perceived and comprehended by the reader. The term “proxeme” is used to denote a word or a word combination that is semantically related to parameters of space. The article presents data on the quantitative relation between the types of thematic proxemic models which comprise the nominative field of the literary subconcepts “virtual space” and “real space”, namely, models of personalised anthropocentrically marked literary text space, models of non-personalised anthropocentrically marked literary text space, as well as those of non-personalised anthropocentrically unmarked literary text space. For each of the abovementioned categories of proxemic models the most common types of proxemes are identified. In addition to this, the representation of dynamic literary text space and the spatial axes is examined. The results obtained highlight the qualitative differences between the significance of the virtual literary text space and the real literary text space, as conceived by the author of the novel. Despite the fact that the characters perceive real life as less salient and important than their performance in the virtual space, the real literary text space turns out to be more intense in terms of human activity than the virtual literary text space and, therefore, not less meaningful, whereas the virtual text space is represented as an environment conducive to creativity alongside revival and/or preservation of traditional culture.

Passing an object between two people is a common event that happens in various forms for example when giving someone a cup of coffee. An experimental study is presented where passing objects between two people in a virtual environment with haptic feedback was compared to passing objects in a nonhaptic virtual environment. The aim of the experiment was to investigate if and how added haptic feedback in such an environment affects perceived virtual presence, perceived social presence and perceived task performance. A within subject design was used, were nine pairs of subjects performed a hand off task with six differently sized cubes without audio communication. Results showed that haptic force feedback significantly improved perceived virtual presence, perceived social presence and perceived performance in this experiment.KeywordsHapticPresenceSocial presenceCollaborative

Interaction with computers and virtual environments is almost totally based on visual displays, along with auditory feedback. Somesthetic feedback, a necessary feature in all other skilled activity, is usually absent. Haptic interfaces attempt to solve this problem by coupling the human sense of touch with a computer-generated world. Haptics is the science of applying tactile sensation and kinesthesis to interaction with computer applications. By using special input/output devices (joysticks, data gloves, or other devices), users can receive feedback from computer applications in the form of sensations felt in the hand or other parts of the body. These sensations include forces, vibrations and/or motions. The aim of this tutorial is to provide participants with an overview of the technical aspects of haptic feedback and provide information about different haptic feedback devices and applications of these devices using virtual reality and computer simulations for motor rehabilitation, learning and teleoperation. The tutorial will include opportunities for hands-on practice with haptic devices and different environments. The haptic devices available for hands-on practice will include the Novint Falcon, and the SensAble OMNI devices.

Although more than 1 in 10 people experience pruritus, there are limited medical technologies that can accurately and continuously quantify and simultaneously reduce scratching behaviors through nonpharmacological methods. To evaluate the accuracy and efficacy of an artificial intelligence-enabled wearable sensor with closed-loop haptic feedback to decrease nocturnal scratch in patients with mild atopic dermatitis who report a moderate to severe degree of scratching. This single-arm 2-stage cohort study with a within-participants design was conducted at a single center and carried out in an at-home environment. Adult patients with atopic dermatitis were recruited from the Northwestern University Department of Dermatology in Chicago, Illinois. Participants were fluent in English, 18 years old or older, had a diagnosis of atopic dermatitis, and self-reported moderate or severe scratching behaviors. Each participant's disease at time of recruitment was scored via the Validated Investigator Global Assessment for Atopic Dermatitis. Data were collected from April to July 2023. Haptic feedback delivered by a wearable sensor mounted on the hand triggered whenever nocturnal scratch was detected by an artificial intelligence algorithm. Participants initially wore the sensor for sensing only for 7 nights to assess baseline nocturnal scratching and sleep parameters. This was followed by an additional 7 nights of wearing the sensor with haptic feedback activated. Retrospective analysis was performed for scratch events and scratch duration per night and per hour of sleep opportunity. Paired t tests were used to compare changes in patient scratching behaviors before and after use of the artificial intelligence-enabled haptic feedback devices. Of 10 included patients, 6 were female, and the mean (SD) age was 36 (12) years. All patients had a Validated Investigator Global Assessment for Atopic Dermatitis score of 0 to 2 (clear to mild) who contributed a total of 104 sleep nights and 831 monitoring hours. No patients were lost to follow-up. There was a significant decrease in mean (SD) scratch events nightly (45.6 [24.0] vs 32.8 [13.0]; P = .03), a 28% difference, and mean (SD) scratch duration per hour of sleep opportunity (15.8 [10.7] seconds vs 7.9 [3.7] seconds; P = .01), a 50% difference, when haptic feedback was activated in the second week without a decrease in total sleep opportunity. This study found that haptic feedback may be used as a nonpharmacological intervention to reduce nocturnal scratching in patients with mild atopic dermatitis. Future randomized studies are needed to confirm.

Retinal microsurgery is one of the most technically difficult surgeries since it is performed at the threshold of human capability. If certain retinal conditions are left untreated, they can lead to severe damage, including irreversible blindness. Thus, techniques for reliable retinal microsurgery operations are critical. Recent research shows promise for improving surgical safety by implementing various types of sensory input and output. Sensory information is used to inform the surgeon about the environment inside the eye in real time. This review examines literature that discusses human factors and ergonomics (HFE) of sensory inputs and outputs of retinal microsurgery instrumentation with a focus on force and haptic feedback. Thirty-four studies were reviewed on the following topics: (1) variation between different input sensory devices and their performance, (2) variation between alternative output sensory devices and their performance, and (3) variation between alternative output sensory devices and their user satisfaction. This review finds that the implementation of HFE is important for the consideration of retinal microsurgery devices, but it is largely missing from current research. The addition of direct comparisons between devices, measures of user acceptance, usability evaluations, and greater realism in testing would help advance the use of haptic sensory feedback for retinal microsurgery instruments.

The oil and gas sector deals with complexly hazardous environments, wherein the efficiency and safety with which operations are performed act as preconditions of success and sustainability. This paper focuses on how virtual reality (VR) technology, in particular the most advanced haptic feedback, applied superb and efficiently integrated VR technology to solve challenges and achieve higher performance at the sector level in the building council. By using authentic touch feedback, VR simulations afford a fully–immersive means through which workers can train, strategize and operate in virtual spaces, significantly reducing the risk of injury in the real world. The paper discusses several VR applications, like education, disaster response, and detailed design, emphasizing that haptic feedback is one of the crucial experiences to provide virtual experience. Integration of real-time data enhances operational decision-making, empowering teams to make informed decisions, while simulations improve emergency preparedness and readiness, enabling workers to be capable of managing critical events. Nonetheless, the case examples provide clear evidence that VR and haptics are part of a variety of key tools that can dramatically increase operational efficiencies and safety standards for a safer and more efficient tomorrow for oil and gas operations. It dives into the evolution of new top-of-the-line haptic techs, such as advanced force feedback gloves and full-body suits that provide extremely realistic tactile sensation, further augmenting VR-focused training programs. By harnessing VR and integrating haptic feedback technologies, the oil and gas industry can revolutionize training methods, emergency response planning, and operational decision-making, paving the way for a safer, more efficient, and technologically advanced future for the sector.