Exploration of virtual surface features with a high performance tactile and force feedback interface

Interfaces capable of providing tactile and force feedback are required to enhance interaction in VR applications, especially in those applications that involve the exploration of small geometric features and manipulation of small objects. This paper presents a high performance haptic interface capable of displaying tactile and force feedback information when interacting with virtual objects. The main objective of this work is to examine the capabilities of this interface to provide realistic sensations during the exploration of small surface features, such as ridges and convex shapes. To achieve this goal, two exploratory experiments under different feedback modalities were conducted. In the first experiment was evaluated the performance of users in detecting and localizing small convex shapes. In the second experiment was measured the users´ ability to discriminate the angle of two chevron-shaped ridges. Results from the first experiment indicated a significant increase in performance not only when the interface provided tactile and force feedback but also when it provided only tactile feedback. Results from the second experiment showed that relatively small differences in angle (±7%) can be discriminated using the tactile and force feedback interface. An average threshold of 6.4° was obtained.