A Survey on Simulation for Weight Perception in Virtual Reality

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) technology can provide users with an immersive experience as if they are in the real world, which can be applied in the fields of entertainment, education and scientific research, etc. In order to improve the sense of presence and immersion in VR, the design of multimodal feedback is an important component. In particular, the simulation of weight of virtual objects poses many challenges due to the limitations of hardware and software. Many researchers focused on this issue in various ways. These methods are mainly divided into two categories: device-based simulation and software-based simulation. This paper investigates the focus of software-based simulation, particularly for the virtual feedback methods proposed by researchers in recent years. We introduce the background of these proposed methods, technical implementation principles, application scenarios, the advantages and disadvantages of these simulation methods, and the evaluation criteria. We also propose the future challenges and the development of simulation methods for weight perception of virtual objects in VR.

A Systematic Review of Weight Perception in Virtual Reality: Techniques, Challenges, and Road Ahead

“…To facilitate the understanding of this topic, important factors that influence how human perceives weight and an overview of weight illusions are presented. This article complements the earlier survey on weight perception simulation [12] with a comprehensive view of the weight simulation development from the perspective of haptic and pseudo-haptic cues through systematic review. This article is aspired to aid in the development of more realistic weight perception in VR and to spark new research interest in this topic.…”

Investigating Whether the Mass of a Tool Replica Influences Virtual Training Learning Outcomes

“…Thus, to increase realism, some studies proposed solutions to simulate masses for tangible interfaces. Indeed, several software-based and device-based simulation methods make it possible to render weight and thus object masses, as reviewed by Ye [65]. On one hand, software-based solutions mostly rely on sensory substitution and visual feedback such as pseudo-haptic [34].…”

“…On one hand, software-based solutions mostly rely on sensory substitution and visual feedback such as pseudo-haptic [34]. On the other hand, device-based solutions are mostly divided into two types: those that simulate the static weight of the object and those that simulate its inertia [65]. For instance, Drag:on is a device said to render efficiently the weight of different original tools [66].…”