Haptic guides in cooperative virtual environments: Design and human performance evaluation

In this paper we simulate the use of two string based parallel robots in cooperative manipulation task. Two users standing in front of a large screen operate each robot. We propose two haptic guide models, and investigate their effects on cooperation, co-presence and users performance. In addition we also examine the effect of object-based force feedback in cooperative work. Ten volunteer subjects had to cooperatively perform a peg-in-hole task. Results revealed that haptic guides have a significant effect on task execution. They not only increase users performance but also enhance the sense of co-presence and awareness. Our investigations will help in the development of VR systems for cooperative assembly, surgical training and rehabilitation