Grabity: a virtual reality haptic controller for creating gravity and stiffness during grasping motions through asymmetric vibrations

A device to simulate kinesthetic pad opposition grip forces and weight for grasping virtual objects in a virtual reality, comprising:

• (a) a base, wherein the base has a thumb pad;
• (b) a sliding part connected with the base through a first prismatic joint, wherein the sliding part has a finger pad, wherein the prismatic joint allows for single degree of freedom pinching motions between the thumb pad and the finger pad for grasping an object,
• (c) a brake mechanism on the sliding part as a first actuator, wherein the brake mechanism is used to create a grasping force;
• and
• (c) a swinging part connected to the sliding part and the base through revolute joints, wherein the swinging part comprises two linear resonant actuators as second actuators connected through a second prismatic joint, wherein one linear resonant actuator is placed closely to the finger pad and the other linear resonant actuator is placed closely to the thumb pad for transmission of vibration signals, and wherein the linear resonant actuators provide both touch sensation at initial contact and sensation of weight when lifting the object.