Modern virtual reality systems have one significant drawback – the lack of an effective system for simulating contact with virtual objects. Engineers from the United States proposed an original scheme that uses a complex of wires attached to the fingers with special nozzles and providing reaction to the events occurring in the VR environment. When a person touches virtual objects, the system creates an imitation of physical contact by pulling the wires. The presentation of the system is expected at the Computer Human Interaction (CHI) exhibition, which will be held in Hawaii in late April.
All systems for simulating contact with virtual objects are currently based on the use of vibration controllers, which does not correspond to the real sensations arising from physical contact with an obstacle.
The development of the torso system was carried out by the engineers from Carnegie Mellon University, who called the created device Wireality. Its main task was to slow down the user’s fingers when approaching a virtual object.
Using special fastenings on the shoulders of a person, modules with wires are installed, at the ends of which there are plastic pads for the user’s fingers. The modules used an ordinary spring system of folding the wire, according to the principle used in household measuring tapes. To stop and adjust the degree of tension, toothed gears and a solenoid are used in the blocks of modules.
The movement of fingers in a virtual environment is controlled by the helmet with a Leap Motion controller. The moment the user’s hand approaches the virtual object, a command is sent to the solenoid, and the wires begin to “slow down” the movement of the user’s hand, creating an illusion of an obstacle.
In the presented demo video, it is shown that the system is capable of creating an imitation of touch, both on flat and curved surfaces, such as railings, palms of characters from VR, cars’ bodyworks and others.
According to the developers of the Wireality prototype, the cost of the components was only $35, and the mass of the entire complex was about 273 grams. After the demonstration at CHI 2020, the engineers are going to start the serial production of the invention.
