Origami Be The Future Of VR Haptics?

In the world of virtual reality (VR), the realism and fidelity of objects are essential to provide an immersive and satisfying experience for users. To achieve this, a group of researchers from Westlake University in China have developed a device that takes inspiration from the art of origami to create stiffness with paper-made sculptures. The research team, led by Hanqing Jiang, discovered curved origami during his time at Arizona State University in 2020 and used it as a basis for their innovation.

Their device, which was presented in Nature Machine Intelligence, uses a curved origami panel as its key component. This panel is capable of providing users with various tactile sensations, such as weightlessness and hardness, which could lead to more captivating interactions with different shaped objects in virtual spaces. To change the stiffness simultaneously with the sense in the VR/AR environments, motors are used to change the angles between the origami panels.

In addition, the device is designed to create and deliver timed sensations to users based on their interaction with the environment or objects. This allows the device to reflect the active nature of the interaction with the environment rather than a passive sensation, which is what technology typically uses to replicate a tactile sensation.

Curved origami, the inspiration behind this device, is a form of origami that involves folding consecutive valley and mountain folds in the center of a circle. This technique allows the paper to bend while folding, resulting in intricate and beautiful designs. This type of origami can be used in various applications, from car design to architectural construction.

The research team was able to take the work of the creator of curved crease origami, David Huffman, who was also a computer scientist, and Ron Resch, his collaborator, who was a mathematician and artist, to create a mechanical sensation that is different from a passive sensation using the science of curved origami.

The device is designed to be synchronized with the virtual world, adapting to its environment by changing its configuration, creating and delivering various sensations based on its interaction with the objects. While more research needs to be done, the research team is excited about the potential of their curved origami approach being used in the future to enhance the performance of VR experiences. Moving forward, the team is focused on developing a multi-modal sensation system that can provide users with different tactile experiences.

Source: vrscout.com