Fluidic Elastomer Actuators for Haptic Interactions in Virtual Reality

Title: Fluidic Elastomer Actuators for Haptic Interactions in Virtual Reality

Teams: Nvidia；Cornell University

Writers: Jose Barreiros (Cornell University)；Houston Claure (Cornell University)；Bryan Peele (Cornell University and NVIDIA)；Omer Shapira (NVIDIA)；Josef Spjut；David Luebke；Malte Jung (Cornell University)；Robert Shepherd (Cornell University)

Publication date: December 19, 2018

Abstract

Virtual reality experiences via immersive optics and sound are becoming ubiquitous; there are several consumer systems (e.g., Oculus Rift and HTC Vive) now available with these capabilities. Other sensory experiences, such as that of touch remain elusive in this field. The most successful examples of haptic sensation (e.g., Nintendo 64’s Rumble Pack and its descendants) are vibrotactile, which do not afford for persistent, morphological shape experiences. This paper presents work on the development of a 12 DOF fluidically pressurized soft actuator for persistent and kinesthetic haptic sensations, a hardware controller for operating it, and software interface with NVIDIA’s game VR Funhouse.