Survey on haptic technologies for virtual reality applications during COVID-19

Emma Yann Zhang, Adrian David Cheok, Zhigeng Pan, Jun Cai, Ying Yan

Article ID: 2493
Vol 5, Issue 2, 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54517/m.v5i2.2493
Received: 16 January 2024; Accepted: 30 August 2024; Available online: 25 October 2024; Issue release: 31 December, 2024

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Abstract

This paper presents a comprehensive survey on the advancements and applications of haptic technologies, which are methods that facilitate the sense of touch and movement, in virtual reality (VR) during the COVID-19 pandemic. It aims to identify and classify the various domains in which haptic technologies have been utilized or can be adapted to combat the unique challenges posed by the pandemic or public health emergencies in general. Existing reviews and surveys that concentrate on the applications of haptic technologies during the Covid-19 pandemic are often limited to specific domains; this survey strives to identify and consolidate all application domains discussed in the literature, including healthcare, medical training, education, social communication, and fashion and retail. Original research and review articles were collected from the Web of Science Core Collection as the main source, using a combination of keywords (like ‘haptic’, ‘haptics’, ‘touch interface’, ‘tactile’, ‘virtual reality’, ‘augmented reality’, 'Covid-19', and ‘pandemic’) and Boolean operators to refine the search and yield relevant results. The paper reviews various haptic devices and systems and discusses the technological advancements that have been made to offer more realistic and immersive VR experiences. It also addresses challenges in haptic technology in VR, including fidelity, ethical, and privacy considerations, and cost and accessibility issues.


Keywords

haptic technology; tactile; virtual reality; augmented reality; Covid-19; pandemics; public health


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