PhysicsHap: A Modular Haptic Interaction Framework for Enhancing Student Learning in Immersive Virtual Physics Experiments

Haptic interaction is crucial for immersive virtual physics experiments, but current haptic devices cannot provide high-fidelity feedback by simultaneously simulating realistic physical shapes and dynamic forces. To address this, we introduce PhysicsHap, a modular haptic framework designed for the rapid construction of reconfigurable proxies that provide both high-fidelity shape replication and dynamic force feedback for immersive virtual physics experiments. The framework's core comprises passive Tangible Bodies to simulate physical shape and active Force Engines to deliver dynamic forces. Furthermore, we leverage the hand-tracking technology of head-mounted displays to achieve precise pose synchronization between the physical proxy and its digital twin. We conducted a randomized controlled experiment with 64 secondary school students to evaluate the effectiveness of PhysicsHap in a coupled oscillators system experiment. The results demonstrate that, compared to a non-haptic gesture-based interaction, the PhysicsHap proxies significantly enhanced students' acquisition of experimental physics knowledge and comprehensive abilities, increased their learning motivation, and optimized their cognitive load by reducing extraneous and increasing germane cognitive load. We open-source PhysicsHap to the community at https://github.com/lyh-12/PhysicsHap.