Abstract
We propose a pen-shaped handheld haptic display that allows haptic interactions with virtual environments by generating kinesthetic sensations on the user's fingers; the user's movements are not restricted since the device does not have mechanical linkages. Unlike conventional haptic displays that provide vibrations, which are not representative of tactile sensation, our proposed device is developed on the basis of the hypothesis that the kinesthetic sensations on fingers alone are sufficient to represent the sensations of touch and provides kinesthetic sensations to the muscles in the user's fingers. We verified our proposed method through an experiment with a prototype device and confirmed the representational ability of our device. We also constructed a haptic augmented reality system in that the user can see and touch a computer graphics object.
