Finger-Mounted Sensor Devices for Haptic VR Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic devices for interacting with virtual environments, such as force-feedback gloves and touch screen devices, can be cumbersome, uncomfortable, and provide unrealistic feedback, lacking in convenience and realism.
Innovation Solution
A system of wearable electronic devices, including finger-mounted and head-mounted devices equipped with sensors, that measure real-world object attributes like surface contour, texture, temperature, and force characteristics, allowing for the recreation of these attributes in virtual environments through haptic, visual, and audio feedback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If force-feedback gloves are used to control virtual objects, then interaction capability is improved, but device complexity and discomfort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the hand into multiple finger segments, with each finger equipped with its own sensor device. This segmentation allows for more precise and distributed sensing of object attributes, improving interaction capability while keeping each individual sensor unit simple and manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from traditional 2D touchscreen interaction to 3D spatial sensing by positioning sensors on the fingers themselves. This dimensional shift enables direct measurement of object attributes in three-dimensional space, enhancing interaction realism without requiring complex glove structures.
2Reliability
If traditional input accessories like computer mice are used, then control function is achieved, but ease of operation and immersion are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The finger sensor devices enable the user's own fingers to directly sense and interact with virtual objects, eliminating the need for separate input accessories like mice. The fingers themselves become the sensing and controlling mechanism, improving ease of operation and immersion while maintaining reliable control.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor devices on the fingers serve as an intermediary between the user and the virtual environment, directly translating physical finger sensations into digital signals. This intermediary approach provides more natural and intuitive control compared to traditional mice, while maintaining precise control functionality.
3Measurement precision
If sensors measure multiple physical attributes of real-world objects, then realism of virtual reproduction is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Each finger sensor device is designed as a multi-functional unit capable of measuring multiple physical attributes including surface contour, texture, temperature, and force characteristics. This universal sensing approach enables comprehensive attribute capture without requiring separate specialized devices for each measurement type, managing complexity while improving measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple sensing functions into integrated finger devices that simultaneously measure various physical attributes. By merging contour sensing, texture detection, temperature measurement, and force sensing into unified finger units, the system achieves comprehensive attribute measurement while minimizing overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A system may include electronic devices. The electronic devices may include finger devices configured to be worn on fingers of users and may include other electronic devices. The electronic devices may include sensors. A sensor may measure information on real-world-object physical attributes such as surface contours and textures associated with real-world objects. The measured physical attributes may be used to recreate a sampled physical object for a user in a computer-generated reality environment. During presentation of computer-generated content, visual content, audio content, haptic content, and/or other content may be presented that is based on measured visual, audio, haptic, and/or other physical attributes of a real-world object. Content may be presented using a head-mounted device, haptic devices and other output devices in finger devices, and/or other output devices.