A survey of haptics in serious gaming

Serious gaming often requires high level of realism for training and learning purposes. Haptic technology has been proved to be useful in many applications with an additional perception modality complementary to the audio and the vision. It provides novel user experience to enhance the immersion of virtual reality with a physical control-layer. This survey focuses on the haptic technology and its applications in serious gaming. Several categories of related applications are listed and discussed in details, primarily on haptics acts as cognitive aux and main component in serious games design. We categorize haptic devices into tactile, force feedback and hybrid ones to suit different haptic interfaces, followed by description of common haptic gadgets in gaming. Haptic modeling methods, in particular, available SDKs or libraries either for commercial or academic usage, are summarized. We also analyze the existing research difficulties and technology bottleneck with haptics and foresee the future research directions

Ультразвуковий пристрій формування силової дії в повітрі

Метою роботи є аналіз сучасної техноголії створення акустичного пристрою формування силової дії в повітрі та створення ультразвукового офтальмологічного масажеру. В роботі проведено розрахунок ефективності технології створення силової дії в повітрі за допомогою ультразвуку, базуючись на роботах та методах отримання силової дії ультразвуку в повітрі Козерука С.О., Розенберг Л.Д, T.Гоші., M.Такахаші, T.Івамото. Проведено аналіз шкідливості та доцільності використання ультразвуку в офтальмології. Визначені оптимальні технічні характеристики для пристрою, а саме ультразвукового масажера для ока. В результаті теоретичних підрахунків та результатів, отриманих після моделювання процесу роботи пристрою в середовищі програмування Matlab та їх оцінки, було виявлено, що технологія формування силової дії в повітрі є потенційною і перспективною для створення офтальмологічного масажера. Розроблено пристрій та зроблено ескізне проектування.The purpose of the work is to analyze the modern technology of creating an acoustic device for the formation of force in the air and the creation of an ultrasound ophthalmic massager. In this work, the efficiency of the technology of creating force in the air by means of ultrasound is carried out, based on the work and methods of obtaining the force action of ultrasound in the air Koseruka S.O., Rosenberg L.D., T.Goshi, M.Takahashi, T.Ivamoto. The analysis of harmfulness and expediency of use of ultrasound in ophthalmology is carried out. The optimum technical specifications for the device, namely the ultrasonic massager for the eye, are determined. As a result of theoretical calculations and the results obtained after simulating the operation of the device in the Matlab programming environment and their evaluation, it was discovered that the technology of formation of force in the air is potential and promising for the creation of an ophthalmic massager. The device was developed and sketch design was done

Haptic Feedback in Virtual Reality: An Investigation Into The Next Step of First Person Perspective Presence

Video games are becoming progressively sophisticated with new interesting mechanics and increasingly realistic graphics. Game technologies manufacturers are constantly striving to find innovative ways of providing additional layers of interactivity, and engagement with the player. In video games haptic feedback has traditionally been delivered by motors and pulleys through interfaces such as steering wheels and joysticks, or via a simple vibration mechanism in the controllers. However, while the growing popularity of commercial virtual reality technologies has provided video game developers with a new modality to introduce greater levels of immersion and presence into games, haptic technology in gaming has kept to its traditional roots. In this thesis we investigate the impact that haptic feedback has on player presence within virtual reality environments. We introduce a non-intrusive haptic interface that can be used alongside consumer grade virtual reality technology. This thesis will demonstrate the implementation and technical considerations made during the construction of this device. We then demonstrate the systems effectiveness through a user study evaluating users reactions towards the system when compared with traditional vibration-based haptics and with the absence of any feedback, in a virtual reality game environment. The results from this study show a positive impact on player presence when using the non-intrusive haptic device, with broken down presence scores suggesting the device was successful in delivering a satisfying haptic experience. Results also indicate an improvement in the way participants perceive their own performance when using the device, with presence scores suggesting this is due to participants being able to fully place themselves in the experience

Interaction techniques with novel multimodal feedback for addressing gesture-sensing systems

Users need to be able to address in-air gesture systems, which means finding where to perform gestures and how to direct them towards the intended system. This is necessary for input to be sensed correctly and without unintentionally affecting other systems. This thesis investigates novel interaction techniques which allow users to address gesture systems properly, helping them find where and how to gesture. It also investigates audio, tactile and interactive light displays for multimodal gesture feedback; these can be used by gesture systems with limited output capabilities (like mobile phones and small household controls), allowing the interaction techniques to be used by a variety of device types. It investigates tactile and interactive light displays in greater detail, as these are not as well understood as audio displays. Experiments 1 and 2 explored tactile feedback for gesture systems, comparing an ultrasound haptic display to wearable tactile displays at different body locations and investigating feedback designs. These experiments found that tactile feedback improves the user experience of gesturing by reassuring users that their movements are being sensed. Experiment 3 investigated interactive light displays for gesture systems, finding this novel display type effective for giving feedback and presenting information. It also found that interactive light feedback is enhanced by audio and tactile feedback. These feedback modalities were then used alongside audio feedback in two interaction techniques for addressing gesture systems: sensor strength feedback and rhythmic gestures. Sensor strength feedback is multimodal feedback that tells users how well they can be sensed, encouraging them to find where to gesture through active exploration. Experiment 4 found that they can do this with 51mm accuracy, with combinations of audio and interactive light feedback leading to the best performance. Rhythmic gestures are continuously repeated gesture movements which can be used to direct input. Experiment 5 investigated the usability of this technique, finding that users can match rhythmic gestures well and with ease. Finally, these interaction techniques were combined, resulting in a new single interaction for addressing gesture systems. Using this interaction, users could direct their input with rhythmic gestures while using the sensor strength feedback to find a good location for addressing the system. Experiment 6 studied the effectiveness and usability of this technique, as well as the design space for combining the two types of feedback. It found that this interaction was successful, with users matching 99.9% of rhythmic gestures, with 80mm accuracy from target points. The findings show that gesture systems could successfully use this interaction technique to allow users to address them. Novel design recommendations for using rhythmic gestures and sensor strength feedback were created, informed by the experiment findings