Data glove integration with 3D virtual environments

The human hand is considered one of the most natural tools in human-computer interaction (HCI). In virtual environments, virtual hand interactions play a key role in interactivity and realism [1]. This paper explores the use of hand gestures as a means of human-computer interactions for virtual reality applications. A lifelike hand model is constructed and some of the human hand constraints are applied to it. Most of the existing approaches use vision-based hand tracking systems, which are rather costly and very sensitive to environmental changes, as well as require many images of a normal hand taken from different viewing directions under fixed environmental conditions [2, 3, 4]. Acting as a masterpiece of mechanical complexity, the human hand is able to perform fine motor manipulations and powerful work alike. This paper demonstrates the creation of a sophisticated Virtual Hand (VHand) model by simulating a human hand\u27s natural anatomy in its appearance and motion using reasonably priced and highly wearable device (DG5-VHand 2.0 Data Glove), in addition to developing some hand gestures and allowing the VHand to interact with objects in a virtual environment. © 2012 IEEE