AirPush: A Pneumatic Wearable Haptic Device Providing Multi-Dimensional Force Feedback on a Fingertip

Abstract

Finger wearable haptic devices enrich virtual reality experiences by offering haptic feedback corresponding to the virtual environment. However, despite the effectiveness of current finger wearable haptic devices in delivering haptic feedback, many are often constrained in their ability to provide force feedback across a diverse range of directions or to sustain it. Therefore, we present AirPush, a finger wearable haptic device capable of generating continuously adjustable force feedback in multiple directions using compressed air. To evaluate its usability, we conducted a technical evaluation and four user studies: (1) we obtained the user's perceptual thresholds of angles under different directions on horizontal and vertical planes, (2) in perception studies, we found that users can identify five different magnitudes of force and eight different motion when using AirPush, and (3) using it in VR applications, we confirmed that users felt more realistic and immersed when using AirPush than the HTC VIVE Controller or AirPush with a fixed nozzle.