Improving user comfort in haptic virtual environments through gravity compensation

Author

Ott, Renaud ; Gutiérrez, Mario ; Thalmann, Daniel ; Vexo, Frédéric

Author_Institution

Virtual Reality Lab., Ecole Polytech. Fed. de Lausanne, Switzerland

fYear

2005

fDate

18-20 March 2005

Firstpage

401

Lastpage

409

Abstract

Our experience with a Haptic Workstation™ has shown that this device is uncomfortable to use during long sessions. The main reason is the uncomfortable posture of the arms, which must be kept outstretched horizontally while supporting the weight of an exoskeleton. We describe Zero-G, a real-time weight compensation system aimed at improving user comfort by compensating for the weight of both the exoskeleton and arms (zero gravity illusion). We present experimental results complemented with electro myography measures (EMG) as an indicator of muscular activity/fatigue. Our tests show how Zero-G exerts a positive influence on the reduction of muscular fatigue when using a Haptic Workstation™.

Keywords

electromyography; haptic interfaces; virtual reality; Haptic Workstation; Zero-G; electro myography measures; gravity compensation; haptic virtual environments; real-time weight compensation system; user comfort; Arm; Exoskeletons; Fatigue; Feedback; Gravity; Haptic interfaces; Mobile robots; Testing; Virtual environment; Wheels;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Eurohaptics Conference, 2005 and Symposium on Haptic Interfaces for Virtual Environment and Teleoperator Systems, 2005. World Haptics 2005. First Joint

Print_ISBN

0-7695-2310-2

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/WHC.2005.78

Filename

1406962