Evaluation of Vibrotactile Glove and Handheld Controller in a Visuo-Haptic VR Space Station

Using virtual reality technology, we can simulate the microgravity environment of the outer space for popularizing the space science. Compared with handheld controllers, we expect using a glove with localized vibrotactile feedback might be more efficient and natural for simulating grasping gestures for space roaming and 3D-objects manipulating, however, quantitative and qualitative effects remain unknown. Thus, this study developed a science popularization orientated visuo-haptic VR space station for elucidating the difference between the two interaction devices. We used the number of times of trying to grasp, success grasping rate, and total time of completing the roaming task to objectively describe the interacting efficiency. The results of subjective rating showed better motion intuitiveness and vibrotactile fidelity using the vibrotactile glove, however, quantitative results showed using the glove was less efficient as compared to using the handheld controller. So, analyses of the underlying reasons were performed in aspects of both hardware and software. The findings may provide suggestions for designing VR interacting devices for space science popularization.