Haptic Tracing: A New Paradigm for Spatialized Vibrotactile Haptic Rendering

Haptic technology enhances interactive experiences by providing force and tactile feedback, improving user performance and immersion. However, despite advancements, creating tactile experiences still remains challenging due to device diversity and complexity. Most available haptic frameworks rely on trigger-based or event-based systems, and disregard the 3D scene information to render haptic information. This paper introduces Haptic Tracing, a novel method for spatial tactile haptic rendering that simplifies the creation of interactive haptic experiences without relying on physical simulations. It uses concepts from visual and audio rendering to model and propagate haptic information through a 3D scene. The paper also describes how our proposed haptic rendering method can be used to create a vibrotactile rendering system, enabling the creation of perceptually coherent and dynamic haptic interactions. Finally, the paper discusses a user study comparing haptic rendering techniques that combine different propagation strategies and modulation functions. The results show that our approach significantly enhances the realism and expressivity of the haptic feedback, showcasing its potential for developing more complex and realistic haptic experiences.