Thesis
Characterization of a Nintendo Wii for tracking a haptic glove in 3D
Washington State University
Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
2009
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/102967
Abstract
The long-term goal of our research is to develop a lightweight and powerful haptic glove. The main challenge in achieving this goal is the development of actuators that are small enough to be placed on the hand, yet powerful enough to restrict or stop the motion of the fingers as the user grasps a virtual object. Another challenge is the real-time measurement of the position and orientation of the user's hand in 3D. Current devices, such as the Flock of Birds sensors, are very expensive. They also restrict the user's movement with long cables and the need to be near an electromagnet for the sensors to measure positions. In this research, the objectives were (1) to explore the possibility of using the Nintendo Wii Remote as an inexpensive position/orientation measurement system to track the user's hand, and (2) to explore the design of a small actuator using magnetorheological fluid and a permanent magnet. The research contained three phases: characterization of the Nintendo Wii Remote, design of a lightweight haptic glove, and design of a small actuator. The performance of the Wii Remote in measuring position and orientation in 3D was characterized through experiments with one and two cameras and by using a Coordinate Measurement Machine (CMM). It was found that the two-parallel-cameras arrangement yielded the best measurement accuracy in about 50 cm depth from the cameras. The work volume at this depth was optimized by adjusting the camera angles and LED targets to create an optimized 3D space for tracking the user's hand motion with the best accuracy. The research also explored conceptual design of a lightweight haptic glove and a small actuator. CAD model of the glove was developed by introducing improvements over the existing glove designs in our laboratory. Conceptual design of an actuator was completed. It uses magnetorheological (MR) fluid, a permanent magnet and a small motor to provide variable resistance forces to motion. It is envisioned that such small actuators will be implemented in a future haptic glove to provide a more realistic virtual reality simulation environment.
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Details
- Title
- Characterization of a Nintendo Wii for tracking a haptic glove in 3D
- Creators
- Graham Clark Kryger
- Contributors
- Hakan Gürocak (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, School of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; Pullman, Wash. :
- Identifiers
- 99900525301201842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis