Electrical Muscle Stimulation for Kinesthetic Feedback in AR/VR: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

This paper presents a thorough review of electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) in the context of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), specifically focusing on its application in providing kinesthetic feedback. Our systematic review of 17 studies reveals the growing interest and potential of EMS in this domain, as evidenced by the growing body of literature and citations. The key elements presented in our review encompass a catalog of the applications developed to date, the specifics of the stimulation parameters used, the participant demographics of the studies, and the types of measures used in these research efforts. We discovered that EMS offers a versatile range of applications in AR/VR, from simulating physical interactions like touching virtual walls or objects to replicating the sensation of weight and impact. Notably, EMS has shown effectiveness in areas such as object handling and musical rhythm learning, indicating its broader potential beyond conventional haptic feedback mechanisms. However, our review also highlights major challenges in the research, such as inconsistent reporting of EMS parameters and a lack of diversity in study participants. These issues underscore the need for improved reporting standards and more inclusive research approaches to ensure wider applicability and reproducibility of results.