Tactile Gloves: Introduce Several Representative VR Gloves
Vrgluv tactile gloves
As a main cost-effective VR glove with high cost performance and economic benefits (although the price of $369 is not a very beautiful price, and this does not include the price of the tracker), all functions are naturally standard and complete.
For an immersive experience, of course, accurate hand tracking is indispensable. Vrgulv uses vive and oculus hardware technology to track the position of both hands. There is a vrgluv adapter on the outside of the glove, which is compatible with vive and oculus. When using, you only need to select a pleasing insertion adapter to track the hand. With only 10ms delay, 12 degrees of freedom tracking and positioning and 360 degrees dead angle free thumb tracking, vrgluv can capture complex actions and gestures and restore them to the virtual world with high fidelity.
The biggest selling point of a tactile glove is naturally tactile. Vrgluv's dynamic force feedback technology can simulate the stiffness of real objects. Every finger of vrgluv is embedded with a force sensor. When the hand contacts the object in the virtual world, the force feedback technology will use the braking device to make the user feel the hardness and softness of the object, as if the hand really grasps these things. Not only that, the user can also squeeze the object by changing the strength of the hand, For example, we can personally feel the feeling of squeezing the virtual spring up and down, or pinch and explode the balloon we don't dare to pinch and explode in reality. However, at present, vrgluv tactile gloves can not feel the texture of the object surface like Microsoft claw.
In general, as an economical glove, it is OK to have these functions and, but a glove that can't feel the texture of an object can't be a good tactile glove!
Manus VR
If vrgluv is a civilian VR glove, the manus VR with a price of 1000 euros, which has cooperated with NASA, is the rich children of the gloves (the price is inexplicably four times higher than the pre-sale price of 250 euros).
(NASA uses manus VR to conduct simulation training of the international space station on the ground)
Manus gloves have two sensors on each finger to capture finger movement changes, and an independent sensor on the thumb to measure the rotation angle of the hand. Similar to vrgluv, manus's tracking solution also relies on vive and other trackers. If you want to synchronize glove tracking between virtual reality, you also need to wear a wrist strap equipped with a tracker.
Compared with vrgluv, the biggest advantage of manus is that it puts a charge jacket on the electronic components. Manus's waterproof shell allows users to wash their VR gloves like ordinary gloves. In addition, the delay is 5ms lower than vrgluv.
Speaking of manus' tactile feedback, it can be regarded as a chicken rib. Not only can not simulate the surface texture of the object, there is no braking device. Its so-called tactile feedback only stays on the vibration of the back of the hand. It was blown up by vrgluv in tactile feedback. It's like a castrated but waterproof vrgluv.
Gloveone
The first generation of gloveone also relies on vive and other trackers to solve the tracking scheme. However, the new version of gloveone has made its own tracking system. Users need to wear a series of IMU sensors along their fingers, arms and chest. Therefore, gloveone not only tracks the position of the palm, but also the whole arm and trunk.
Instead of using optical tracking, it is easy to drift by simply relying on IMU, that is, the virtual hand often deviates from the direction of the real hand. Surprisingly, gloveone didn't drift as expected, just like the "zero drift" experience described in the official publicity. This also opens up new ideas for virtual reality tracking technology.
Gloveone is significantly more mature than vrgluv and manus in tactile feedback. Gloveone has 10 actuators distributed on the palm and fingertips. When they vibrate at different frequencies and intensities, they can simulate the accurate touch. In addition, gloveone can also feel the shape and weight of objects.
So we can feel the falling of raindrops
Touch the flying butterfly
You can even bake your hands! There is really a change in temperature
Gloveone also has a unique gesture recognition system. The four sensors located on the palm, thumb, index finger and middle finger can detect the contact between fingers and palms to switch different control modes, such as shooting mode and calling control menu.
A new generation of VR gloves, avatar VR, has been updated on gloveone's official website, but there are no other reports about avatar VR except on the official website
Maestro
Maestro filled the gloves with a thin layer of electronic muscle
With a small motor installed on the forearm, an artificial tendon system is formed.
(as can be seen from the above figure, Maestro also relies on vive and other trackers)
It is through these powerful tendons that Maestro can carry out force feedback. When the virtual hand touches an object, the tendons will guide the hands to stop. Coupled with the vibrator at the fingertips, it can simulate the real touch.
Although Maestro looks a little bulky, in fact, it is very light and comfortable. It has good wrapping and elasticity. It won't feel bulky and abrupt after wearing it.
HaptX
Different from the above tactile solutions, haptx adopts a black technology of microfluidic intelligent fabric. The fabric is covered with micro air bags, which can shrink and expand under control, so as to obtain the touch of the surface texture of the object. Moreover, people can feel the change of temperature through the hot and cold water in the microchannel.
It is worth mentioning that haptx does not use external vive and other trackers to solve the tracking problem. Haptx's customized magnetic motion tracking and simulation solution provides submillimeter 6-DOF unobstructed tracking, and accurately and automatically generates a physical accurate hand model based on tracking data through software.
Seeing haptx's omnipotent performance in tactile feedback, Xiaobian feels that once it is on sale, other gloves may be cool.
The specific information about haptx has been introduced before. Interested friends can move to the push on 17-12-25
UC VR gloves
The lightweight flexible gloves developed by researchers at the University of California also have a layer of muscle. The difference is that its muscles are soft latex. This muscle, called McKibben, is a latex chamber covered with woven fibers. Latex muscles are tied to soft silicone bones, and a pump controls the inflation level. Pressure feedback is based on readings of their opponent's position parameters. When the user moves the finger, the system will control the contraction and expansion of the "muscle" through inflation and deflation, apply directional pressure to the finger and pull the user's finger, so that the user can feel the feedback force of the virtual object.
The haptic solution is similar to haotx, which is probably a dual low configuration version of haptx.
On the tracking system, this glove still uses leap motion sensor.
Powerclaw
This glove case, as it is called, contains a lot of energy at the fingertips. Powerclaw integrates a series of micro motors and thermoelectric units into gloves, so that fingers can experience the feeling of ice and fire, and can also simulate the stimulation of electric shock.
If you want to provide the energy of ice and fire, you need a large battery. Each glove has a thick wire plugged into the power box, which means powerclaw can't have a built-in power supply.
The tracking scheme is still the leap motion sensor.
Generally speaking, in the selection of tracking scheme, most gloves choose the combination of external vive and leap motion sensors and IMU for tracking and positioning. A small part adopts pure IMU scheme.
In tactile simulation, it can be roughly divided into vibrator simulation and airbag simulation. Some gloves can also show changes in temperature.
Each glove has its own advantages and disadvantages. If it can be combined in the future, such as vrgluv braking manus waterproof powerclaw touch, it must be able to produce a perfect pair of gloves.
