Vibration haptic feedback system for improved manual dexterity assessment with virtual Box and Block Test
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17979/ja-cea.2025.46.12192Keywords:
Haptic devices, Virtual reality, Rehabilitation, Hand dexterity, Serius gamesAbstract
This article presents the development of a vibrating haptic system prototype for the hands, designed to integrate with the VRBBT environment—an immersive virtual rendition of the clinical Box and Block Test (BBT). The system’s goal is to provide tactile feedback during the VR-BBT task and mitigate the loss of tactile sensation inherent to virtual reality. It employs flexible thimble-style actuators placed on the fingertips that trigger whenever the user interacts with the virtual blocks in VR-BBT. Unlike other glove-based haptic systems, this design simplifies donning for patients with hand stiffness. The system’s functionality and ergonomics were preliminarily validated through a user satisfaction survey with healthy participants after using VR-BBT both with and without tactile feedback. Results indicate that the thimble design is comfortable and functional for prolonged use and does not distort the hand’s morphology in a way that would interfere with the VR-BBT’s vision-based tracking. This prototype represents a significant advance in the development of virtual-reality–based rehabilitation systems.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Johnny Javier Yépez Figueroa, Edwin Daniel Oña, Hugo Alonso Cámara, Silvia Tapia González, Carlos Balaguer, Alberto Jardón
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