Enhancing Multimodal Interaction for Virtual Reality Using Haptic Mediation Technology

As our interaction in virtual space expands from 2D to 3D, the absence of meaningful touch output restricts our ability to explore new virtual frontiers. The core limitation of not being able to reach out and feel or interpolate an object or sense its texture and form, within a virtual environment, hinders the intuitiveness of the interaction experience. Although, in recent years, tactile feedback has been introduced, as a necessary component of multimodal interaction, the resolution and type of output is still very primitive compared to visual and auditory modalities. For this reason we have developed a radical new approach called ‘Haptic Mediation’ through which it is not only possible to actively monitor signal integrity and skin sensitivity but also the applied actuation signal, dynamically adjusting the actuation to ensure reliable perception of intended information. In this research, we have extended this technique to develop a self-sensing and actuation haptic glove prototype.