Evaluation of preferred motor torque levels for force feedback

Force feedback peripheral devices are being increasingly used in virtual reality simulators, particularly in the video game industry. The amount of force provided to the user through the peripheral device needs to take into account several factors such as user strength, device controllability, the nature of the task, and personal preference. This work is an initial attempt to study the user response to varying magnitudes of force feedback for a video game application, using qualitative evaluation by the user and quantitative measurement of task performance as defined by the time to complete the task. A total of sixteen subjects participated in the study. Each subject was tested at various levels of force feedback and at one level of the subject's choice. Preliminary results indicate the presence of a characteristic subjective preference for force feedback. They also show an absence of significant differences in the quantitative measure of performance, namely the driving time. Implications of these findings are discussed in relationship to the design and application of force feedback devices.