FlexiFingers: Multi-Finger Interaction in VR Combining Passive Haptics and Pseudo-Haptics

Merwan Achibet (1) , Benoît Le Gouis (1) , Maud Marchal (1) , Pierre-Alexandre Léziart (2) , Ferran Argelaguet Sanz (1) , Adrien Girard (1) , Anatole Lécuyer (1) , Hiroyuki Kajimoto (3)

1 Hybrid - 3D interaction with virtual environments using body and mind
2 ENS Rennes - École normale supérieure - Rennes
3 UTokyo - The University of Tokyo

3D interaction in virtual reality often requires to manipulate and feel virtual objects with our fingers. Although existing haptic interfaces can be used for this purpose (e.g. force-feedback ex-oskeleton gloves), they are still bulky and expensive. In this paper , we introduce a novel multi-finger device called "FlexiFingers" that constrains each digit individually and produces elastic force-feedback. FlexiFingers leverages passive haptics in order to offer a lightweight, modular, and affordable alternative to active devices. Moreover, we combine Flexifingers with a pseudo-haptic approach that simulates different levels of stiffness when interacting with virtual objects. We illustrate how this combination of passive hap-tics and pseudo-haptics can benefit multi-finger interaction through several use cases related to music learning and medical training. Those examples suggest that our approach could find applications in various domains that require an accessible and portable way of providing haptic feedback to the fingers.

Domaines: Interface homme-machine [cs.HC]

Merwan Achibet, Benoît Le Gouis, Maud Marchal, Pierre-Alexandre Léziart, Ferran Argelaguet Sanz, et al.. FlexiFingers: Multi-Finger Interaction in VR Combining Passive Haptics and Pseudo-Haptics. IEEE Symposium on 3D User Interfaces, Mar 2017, Los Angeles, United States. ⟨hal-01625154⟩