Modifying an identified curved surface shape using pseudo-haptic effect

Abstract

In our research, we aim to construct a visuo-haptic system that can provide users with the sensation of touching virtual objects of varying shapes, using pseudo-haptic effects. In this paper, we focus on modifying the identification of a shape of a curved surface when touching it with a pointing finger, by displacing the visual representation of the user's hand. We compose a video see-through system through which we can change the shapes of objects the user is visually touching, and displace the visual representation of the user's hand as if he were touching the visual shape although in actuality he is touching another shape. Using this system we perform an experiment to investigate the effects of visuo-haptic interaction and we evaluate its effectiveness. The results show that over 80% of the participants answered that they perceived the virtual object's shape to be different from the actual shape they touched, which proves the possibility for constructing a novel visuo-haptic system.