Dexterous Grasping Tasks Generated With an Add-on End Effector of a Haptic Feedback System

The simulation of grasping operations in virtual reality (VR) is required for many applications, especially in the domain of industrial product design, but it is very difficult to achieve without any haptic feedback. Force feedback on the fingers can be provided by a hand exoskeleton, but such a device is very complex, invasive, and costly. In this paper, we present a new device, called HaptiHand, which provides position and force input as well as haptic output for four fingers in a noninvasive way, and is mounted on a standard force-feedback arm. The device incorporates four independent modules, one for each finger, inside an ergonomic shape, allowing the user to generate a wide range of virtual hand configurations to grasp naturally an object. It is also possible to reconfigure the virtual finger positions when holding an object. The paper explains how the device is used to control a virtual hand in order to perform dexterous grasping operations. The structure of the HaptiHand is described through the major technical solutions required and tests of key functions serve as validation process for some key requirements. Also, an effective grasping task illustrates some capabilities of the HaptiHand.