Design and Preliminary Evaluation of Haptic Devices for Upper Limb Stimulation and Integration within a Virtual Reality Cave

During the last decade significant advances have been made in vibrotactile actuator design that are leading to the development of novel haptic technologies. Similarly, important innovations have been made in the area of virtual reality for scene rendering and user tracking. However, the integration of these technologies has not been well explored.In this paper, we outline a broad design philosophy and integration plan of these tools. In addition, we give an overview of applications for such a cohesive set of technologies. Preliminary results are provided to demonstrate their critical importance and future widespread use.