Development of a haptic device with tactile and proprioceptive feedback for spatial design tasks

We present a novel, low-cost haptic feedback device for spatial design tasks that provides proprioceptive and tactile feedback. It uses the Manus VR datagloves and a custom VR CAD environment. Here, tactile feedback is provided to the index finger through a vibrating motor, which helps users in identifying points on a grid. This grid allows for alignment during the creation and manipulation of geometric shapes. Models can be adjusted by pinching at a vertex of the shape with index finger and thumb, and moving this to a different point on the grid. Here, proprioceptive feedback is provided by a solenoid locking mechanism. The system was evaluated through preliminary user testing. Results indicate that the device leads to more natural and intuitive interactions for both the point grid and vertex adjustment, but that the ergonomics needs to be improved. Future challenges involve further integration of the physical device and datagloves and refined, multi-finger feedback.