Enhanced Wearable Force-Feedback Mechanism for Free-Range Haptic Experience Extended by Pass-Through Mixed Reality

Abstract

We present an extended prototype of a wearable force-feedback mechanism coupled with a Meta Quest 2 head-mounted display to enhance immersion in virtual environments. Our study focuses on the development of devices and virtual experiences that place significant emphasis on personal sensing capabilities, such as precise inside-out optical hand, head, and controller tracking, as well as lifelike haptic feedback utilizing servos and vibration rumble motors, among others. The new prototype addresses various limitations and deficiencies identified in previous stages of development, resulting in significant user performance improvements. Key enhancements include weight reduction, wireless connectivity, optimized power delivery, refined haptic feedback intensity, improved stylus alignment, and smooth transitions between stylus use and hand-tracking. Furthermore, the integration of a mixed reality pass-through feature enables users to experience a comprehensive and immersive environment that blends physical and virtual worlds. These advancements pave the way for future exploration of mixed reality applications, opening up new possibilities for immersive and interactive experiences that combine useful aspects of real and virtual environments.

Breaking the Isolation: Exploring the Impact of Passthrough in Shared Spaces on Player Performance and Experience in VR Exergames

“…VR's Passthrough functionality has recently emerged as a crucial component in VR systems, allowing users to observe their physical surroundings while immersed in a virtual environment. This functionality leverages the headset's built-in cameras to capture a live stereo video feed of the user's physical environment, which is then seamlessly blended with the virtual content [21,22,39]. Passthrough functionality addresses the issue of VR isolating users from their surrounding environment, thereby offering benefits for the use of VR in shared spaces.…”

“…To better assist users in utilizing VR within shared spaces, various methods [9,10,12,[15][16][17][18][19][20] have been proposed to heighten player awareness of the real environment, with Passthrough emerging as a promising option. Serving as a bridge between the virtual and physical worlds, Passthrough allows users to observe their immediate physical surroundings while engaged in VR activities, facilitated by a live video feed accessed through the VR headset's camera system [21,22]. However, while previous research [9,10,12,[15][16][17] mainly delves into Passthrough aiding transitions between virtual and real environments, its impact on player performance and experience remains an ongoing area of study.…”

Hand Sign Interpretation through Virtual Reality Data Processing

“…issue 2, June 2024 Furthermore, the Meta Quest 2, a leading VR device, has garnered attention for further research and development. Efforts have been made to measure controller precision [26], hand movement accuracy [27], eye-tracking evaluations [28], integration of haptic features [29], [30], and the creation of 3D Avatar applications [31].…”