Physical surfaces make touch interactions in virtual reality precise, efficient, and bimanual
2026-07-02 • Human-Computer Interaction
Human-Computer Interaction
AI summaryⓘ
The authors studied how different types of touch feedback affect how well people can do precise tasks in virtual reality, like selecting, tracing, and sketching. They compared no physical feedback, simple vibrations, and a real physical surface that users can touch. The study showed that using a real physical surface helped people perform the tasks more accurately and efficiently. People also used both hands more and felt more confident when they could feel a physical surface. This suggests that having a tangible object to touch in VR helps improve precision and control.
Virtual RealityHaptic FeedbackMid-air GesturesTactile FeedbackPhysical SurfacePrecision TasksBimanual InteractionTouch InteractionUser ExperienceSketching
Authors
Wen Ying, Seongkook Heo
Abstract
Virtual reality (VR) systems can enable convenient hand-based interactions across diverse work scenarios. However, mid-air gestures lack tactile feedback and a physical reference surface to support the hand. This absence of haptic grounding can cause significant challenges in achieving precise and efficient touch interactions. This paper investigates the effect of different types of hand-grounded haptic feedback on the touch performance of VR tasks that demand high precision, such as selecting, tracing, and sketching. We compared three levels of haptic feedback: 1) No Haptic Feedback, where only visual feedback was provided; 2) Tactile Feedback, where users received vibrotactile and pressure feedback upon touching a virtual surface; 3) Physical Surface, where users interacted with a portable and tangible surface. Our study found that portable physical surfaces enabled the best selection precision, tracing efficiency, and sketch quality. Furthermore, participants showed increased bimanual hand utilization when engaging with a physical surface during tasks. These observed behaviors corresponded to participants' preference for interacting with physical surfaces, attributed to a better sense of confidence and control.