Reconstructing Human Hand Pose and Configuration using a Fixed-Base Exoskeleton

Accurate real-time estimation of the pose and configuration of the human hand attached to a dexterous haptic input device is crucial to improve the interaction possibilities for teleoperation and in virtual and augmented reality. In this paper, we present an approach to reconstruct the pose of the human hand and the joint angles of the fingers when wearing a novel fixed-base (grounded) hand exoskeleton. Using a kinematic model of the human hand built from MRI data, we can reconstruct the hand pose and joint angles without sensors on the human hand, from attachment points on the first three fingers and the palm. We test the accuracy of our approach using motion capture as a ground truth. This reconstruction can be used to determine contact geometry and force-feedback from virtual or remote objects in virtual reality or teleoperation.

I. Introduction

Hand exoskeletons allow us to interact with virtual or remote environments intuitively. It is necessary to acquire the position and orientation of the human hand and the joint angles of the fingers, for determining contact or penetration of remote or virtual environments, positioning the slave manipulator or virtual human hand, and calculating force feedback. Several dexterous haptic interfaces use encoders on mechanical joints fixed to joints of the fingers [1], or sensors in a data glove [2], [3], which often results in bulky interface designs when force-feedback is also required. We present an approach to accurately estimate pose and configuration of the human hand from only the positions of well-chosen attachment points to the exoskeleton.