Current VR/AR systems are unable to reproduce the physical sensation of fluid vessels, due to the shifting nature of fluid motion. To this end, we introduce SWISH, an ungrounded mixed-reality interface, capable of affording the users a realistic haptic sensation of fluid behaviors in vessels. The chief mechanism behind SWISH is in the use of virtual reality tracking and motor actuation to actively relocate the center of gravity of a handheld vessel, emulating the moving center of gravity of a handheld vessel that contains fluid. In addition to solving challenges related to reliable and efficient motor actuation, our SWISH designs place an emphasis on reproducibility, scalability, and availability to the maker culture. Our virtual-to-physical coupling uses Nvidia Flex's Unity integration for virtual fluid dynamics with a 3D printed augmented vessel containing a motorized mechanical actuation system. To evaluate the effectiveness and perceptual efficacy of SWISH, we conduct a user study with 24 participants, 7 vessel actions, and 2 virtual fluid viscosities in a virtual reality environment. In all cases, the users on average reported that the SWISH bucket generates accurate tactile sensations for the fluid behavior. This opens the potential for multi-modal interactions with programmable fluids in virtual environments for chemistry education, worker training, and immersive entertainment.
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Exoskeleton Training through Haptic Sensation Transfer in Immersive Virtual Environment
Exoskeleton as a human augmentation technology has shown a great potential for transforming the future civil engineering operations. However, the inappropriate use of exoskeleton could cause injuries and damages if the user is not well trained. An effective procedural and operational training will make users more aware of the capabilities, restrictions and risks associated with exoskeleton in civil engineering operations. At present, the low availability and high cost of exoskeleton systems make hands-on training less feasible. In addition, different designs of exoskeleton correspond with different activation procedures, muscular engagement and motion boundaries, posing further challenges to exoskeleton training. We propose an “sensation transfer” approach that migrates the physical experience of wearing a real exoskeleton system to first-time users via a passive haptic system in an immersive virtual environment. The body motion and muscular engagement data of 15 experienced exoskeleton users were recorded and replayed in a virtual reality environment. Then a set of haptic devices on key parts of the body (shoulders, elbows, hands, and waist) generate different patterns of haptic cues depending on the trainees’ accuracy of mimicking the actions. The sensation transfer method will enhance the haptic learning experience and therefore accelerate the training.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2024784
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10348916
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- ASCE Construction Research Congress (CRC) 2022
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 560 to 569
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Conference Paper:
- https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784483961.059
