Reel Feel: Rich Haptic XR Experiences Using an Active, Worn, Multi-String Device

While many haptic systems have been demonstrated for use in virtual and augmented reality, they most often enable a single category of feedback (e.g., kinematic breaking, object compliance, texture). Combining prior systems to achieve multi-dimensional effects is unwieldy, expensive, and often physically impossible. We believe this is holding back the ubiquity of rich haptics in both the consumer and industrial AR/VR/XR domains. In this work, we describe Reel Feel, a novel, shoulder-worn haptic system capable of rendering rigid geometry, object-bound haptic animations, impulsive forces, surface compliance, and fine-grained spatial effects all in one unified, worn device. Our design aimed to minimize the weight on the hands (<10 g), where a system’s mass is most felt, as many prior systems are heavy gloves and exoskeletons. Finally, we sought to keep the device practical, being self-contained, low-cost, and low enough power to be feasible for consumer adoption with a high degree of mobility. In a user evaluation, our device rated better than a conventional vibrotactile baseline for all qualitative measures (immersion, realism, etc.) and allowed participants to more accurately discern object compliance and fine-grained spatial effects.