Li Min, Sareh Sina, Xu Guanghua, Ridzuan Maisarah Binti, Luo Shan, Xie Jun, Wurdemann Helge, Althoefer Kaspar
School of Mechanical Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
PLoS One. 2016 Jun 28;11(6):e0157681. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0157681. eCollection 2016.
This paper proposes a pseudo-haptic feedback method conveying simulated soft surface stiffness information through a visual interface. The method exploits a combination of two feedback techniques, namely visual feedback of soft surface deformation and control of the indenter avatar speed, to convey stiffness information of a simulated surface of a soft object in virtual environments. The proposed method was effective in distinguishing different sizes of virtual hard nodules integrated into the simulated soft bodies. To further improve the interactive experience, the approach was extended creating a multi-point pseudo-haptic feedback system. A comparison with regards to (a) nodule detection sensitivity and (b) elapsed time as performance indicators in hard nodule detection experiments to a tablet computer incorporating vibration feedback was conducted. The multi-point pseudo-haptic interaction is shown to be more time-efficient than the single-point pseudo-haptic interaction. It is noted that multi-point pseudo-haptic feedback performs similarly well when compared to a vibration-based feedback method based on both performance measures elapsed time and nodule detection sensitivity. This proves that the proposed method can be used to convey detailed haptic information for virtual environmental tasks, even subtle ones, using either a computer mouse or a pressure sensitive device as an input device. This pseudo-haptic feedback method provides an opportunity for low-cost simulation of objects with soft surfaces and hard inclusions, as, for example, occurring in ever more realistic video games with increasing emphasis on interaction with the physical environment and minimally invasive surgery in the form of soft tissue organs with embedded cancer nodules. Hence, the method can be used in many low-budget applications where haptic sensation is required, such as surgeon training or video games, either using desktop computers or portable devices, showing reasonably high fidelity in conveying stiffness perception to the user.
本文提出了一种通过视觉界面传达模拟软表面刚度信息的伪触觉反馈方法。该方法利用两种反馈技术的组合，即软表面变形的视觉反馈和压头虚拟体速度控制，来在虚拟环境中传达软物体模拟表面的刚度信息。所提出的方法在区分集成到模拟软物体中的不同尺寸的虚拟硬结节方面是有效的。为了进一步改善交互体验，该方法被扩展为创建一个多点伪触觉反馈系统。在硬结节检测实验中，将其与包含振动反馈的平板电脑在（a）结节检测灵敏度和（b）检测耗时这两个性能指标方面进行了比较。结果表明，多点伪触觉交互比单点伪触觉交互更省时。值得注意的是，基于检测耗时和结节检测灵敏度这两个性能指标，多点伪触觉反馈与基于振动的反馈方法表现相当。这证明了所提出的方法可用于为虚拟环境任务传达详细的触觉信息，即使是细微的信息，使用计算机鼠标或压敏设备作为输入设备即可。这种伪触觉反馈方法为低成本模拟具有软表面和硬内含物的物体提供了机会，例如在越来越注重与物理环境交互的逼真视频游戏以及以带有嵌入式癌结节的软组织器官形式的微创手术中。因此，该方法可用于许多需要触觉感受的低成本应用中，如外科医生培训或视频游戏，无论是使用台式计算机还是便携式设备，在向用户传达刚度感知方面都能显示出相当高的保真度。
