Vipins: Combining a pin array and vibrotactile actuators to render complex shapes and textures

We introduce Vipins, a wearable haptic device that combines a pin array and vibration actuators. The aim is to integrate haptic feedback for diverse shapes and textures in one device for VR. Vipins consists of: (1) a 5 × 5 array of pins that can be controlled independently and precisely and (2) three vibration motors around the fingertip that provide spatial vibrotactile feedback. We present the technical design of the device and demonstrate how it renders various virtual objects. Two user studies including 20 participants were conducted to evaluate the performance of the pin array, vibrations, and their combination in Vipins on different shapes, fine and coarse textures, and dynamic patterns. Our results show that the pin array and the vibrations performed well at shape and fine-texture rendering. Their combination in Vipins created the most realistic rendering for coarse textures and dynamic patterns compared to either mechanism alone.