PROJECT TITLE :

Investigating Human Performance in a Virtual Reality Haptic Simulator as Influenced by Fidelity and System Latency

ABSTRACT:

The target of this study was to demonstrate the utility of a longtime model of human motor behavior for assessing the fidelity of a virtual reality (VR) and haptic-primarily based simulation for fine motor task performance. This study was also to serve as a basis for formulating general performance-based simulator-style tips toward balancing perceived realism with simulator limitations, like latency ensuing from graphic and haptic renderings. A low-fidelity surgical simulator was developed for instance VR for study, and user performance was tested during a simplified tissue-cutting task using a virtual scalpel. The observed side of the simulation included a discrete-movement task underneath completely different system-lag conditions and settings of task problem. Results revealed user performance in the VR to evolve with Fitts' law of motor behavior and for performance to degrade with increasing task issue and system time lag. In general, the findings of this work support predictions on human performance underneath varied simulator-design conditions using a longtime model of motor-control behavior and formulation of human-performance-based simulator-style principles.