HapticGEAR: the development of a wearable force display system for immersive projection displays

Describes the design and implementation of an artificial force display for immersive projection displays (IPD) such as CAVE or CABIN. In order to give the user maximum freedom of motion in the large virtual space generated by an IPD, it is necessary to use a portable force display that is self-contained on the user´s body. Therefore, we developed a wearable force display called HapticGEAR. It is a backpack-type device that transmits applied forces to the wearer by using a wire-tension mechanism. The device is designed such that it minimizes fatigue for the wearer and does not interrupt the user´s motion and view. Also, we integrated the device into CABIN and experimentally evaluated both the accuracy it achieved in tracing objects and the displayed haptic sensation.