A device that simulates obstacles in virtual reality

[zakiyatasnim]

VR systems allow you to experience incredible visual sensations, but that's where their capabilities end. Virtual reality cannot recreate the feeling of touching anything. Developers at Carnegie Mellon University have created a device that complements conventional virtual reality equipment to simulate the sensation of obstacles and touching surfaces. It uses strings that are attached to the hand and each finger.

The device that adjusts the strings is fixed on the user's shoulder. The stretching of the strings is blocked when the person's hand is near the virtual surface. The hand takes on a certain shape, and thus the device creates the sensation of touching any surface.

For example, the mechanism allows the user to feel resistance georgia number data when pushing objects or pushing off a wall, to feel the curves of virtual sculptures, or to “high-five” another character in a virtual game.

Cathy Fang, one of the creators of the mechanism, said that their shoulder device uses spring strings and spring-loaded retractors - a plastic case inside which a spring and a coil with a cable are placed. The strings are quickly locked using a ratchet mechanism and special latches. This technology has reduced the weight to a negligible 280 grams, and reduced battery power consumption.

Engineers have used strings to simulate tactile sensations in a virtual world before, but they usually added motors to control the mechanism. Such a device turned out to be quite massive and heavy, and the motor engines consumed a lot of energy.

In the development of the team from Carnegie Mellon University, the motors are replaced with springs, which are used to tension the strings. And to switch the latch does not require a lot of electricity, but only a small signal, so the system can be called energy-efficient. It can operate on a regular battery.

of strings and their placement, the developers found that attaching one string to each fingertip, one to the palm, and one to the wrist provided the best results. The hand motion sensor is attached to the VR headset. When it detects that the user's hand is near a virtual wall or other obstacle, the ratchet mechanisms engage in a sequence that matches the contours of these virtual objects. If the person removes their hand, the latches disengage.