In 2009, I was consulted on research and development to create tactile sensations in virtual space. We created a program in VR to reproduce a 3D shape model in virtual space. The hand moves in the virtual space according to the finger movement, detects contact with the shape model, and links with the microcomputer to activate the vibrator at the timing of the touch, reproducing the tactile sensation at the time of a collision. Together with research institutes, we will develop a system that creates tactile sensations by combining vibration patterns according to the shape and material of the location to be reproduced in a more advanced virtual space and continuously changing the vibration patterns. The development focused on generating tactile pressure sensation through vibration and pain sensation generation using electrical discharge. Regarding force sensation, there were various haptic devices for VR, but all of them were expensive, so we specialized in reproducing tactile pressure sensation and pain sensation.
The above is a prototype unit that generates analog vibration patterns using the haptic control CPU board (*The tactile control board is a technology jointly developed with Professor Masashi Konyo of Tohoku University.) and a voice coil motor, which were developed for university research institutions in 2014. The board and firmware are equipped with a CPU and A/D and D/A converters. The vibration patterns created by actually touching an object are recorded within the unit. During playback, multiple basic vibration patterns are combined and connected continuously in real time to generate tactile sensations in the form of vibration patterns.