Towards Robotic Haptic Proxies in Virtual Reality

TL;DR

This paper introduces a robotic haptic display system for virtual reality that enhances presence by connecting virtual and physical spaces, and evaluates hand-tracking performance of the Meta Quest Pro headset.

Contribution

It presents the initial development of a haptic proxy framework linking virtual environments with robotic manipulators for improved haptic feedback.

Findings

Hand-tracking latency measured and characterized.

Static positional error of hand tracking assessed.

Foundation laid for future haptic display development.

Abstract

This work represents the initial development of a haptic display system for increased presence in virtual experiences. The developed system creates a two-way connection between a virtual space, mediated through a virtual reality headset, and a physical space, mediated through a robotic manipulator, creating the foundation for future haptic display development using the haptic proxy framework. Here, we assesses hand-tracking performance of the Meta Quest Pro headset, examining hand tracking latency and static positional error to characterize performance of our system.