ENHANCING VIRTUAL REALITY TRAINING WITH HAPTIC FEEDBACK: A TAXONOMY OF DEVICES AND DEVELOPMENT OF A TACTILE INTERFACE FOR VR-BASED MANUFACTURING TRAINING

<p>This thesis provides a comprehensive overview of haptic technology and its taxonomy</p> <p>from the haptic device exploration point of view with the aim towards reducing the gap</p> <p>between haptics researchers and virtual reality developers. Followed by the development</p> <p>and evaluation of the PowVRtool, an ungrounded handheld haptic device designed to provide</p> <p>realistic haptic feedback for various power tools in virtual reality (VR) simulations.</p> <p>The device incorporates vibrotactile feedback, weight perception, and mass distribution, all</p> <p>essential attributes for developing muscle memory in users. We measured the vibration response</p> <p>of various power tools and created a frequency domain database, which we used to</p> <p>render realistic vibrotactile feedback using linear magnetic ram (LMR), eccentric rotating</p> <p>mass (ERM) motors, and linear resonant actuators (LRA). Weight perception was achieved</p> <p>using additional CNC machined weight to shift the center of gravity (CG) corresponding</p> <p>to the real power tool and meet the total device weight requirement. We conducted a user</p> <p>study to evaluate the effectiveness of PowVRtool by measuring its ability to render haptic</p> <p>feedback for drilling activities and found that the device provided realistic feedback, resulting</p> <p>in increased performance and focus among users. Our results demonstrate the potential</p> <p>of PowVRtool as a valuable tool for VR-based training in the manufacturing industry.</p>