Design of Illusory Force Sensation for Virtual Fishing

Abstract

Haptic feedback in current consumer game machines is limited to symmetric vibrations and impulses except for few types of controllers dedicated to certain types of games. Force display technology based on asymmetric vibration is of particular interest in enriching the feedback due to its capability of producing illusory sensations of directional forces by portable miniature vibrators. Here, we introduce a novel fishing game based on this technology. When participants approached virtual fishes displayed on a touchscreen with a contactor hung from a pinched vibrator, asymmetric vibrations were applied to the fingertips to give a sensation that the fish nibbled and pulled the string. Subjective reports collected at exhibitions confirmed that the vibration successfully induced pulling force sensations with minimum numbness. Experimental results further suggested that perceived strength of pulling force, roughness of vibration, reality as pulls of fishes, and impression of fish size can be modulated by systematically controlling the gain and frequency of the vibration, and that variations in the latter two are explained by the former two factors. Our study sheds light on the possibility of representing kinetic interactions with live creatures by portable miniature vibrators, and suggests its application to games with such interactions.