Modifying an identified curved surface shape using pseudo-haptic effect

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.