Systems and methods for providing haptic effects related to touching and grasping a virtual object

Abstract

A wearable device for providing haptic effects includes a wearable housing configured to be worn on to a portion of a hand of a wearer and an actuator secured to the wearable housing. The wearable housing includes a first digit segment configured to conform to a finger of the hand and a second digit segment configured to conform to another finger or a thumb of the hand. The actuator is configured to receive a command signal indicative of a virtual interaction related to touching or grasping a virtual object. In response to the command signal, the actuator provides a force onto the portion of the hand or provides a force to render a resistance to movement of the first and second digit segments toward each other. The actuator uses the wearable housing to mechanically stabilize the force towards the portion of the hand. The wearable device may further include a sensor configured to sense a dynamic response to a user interaction with a real-world object which corresponds to the virtual object, the sensed dynamic response being used to assess a physical characteristic of the real-world object.