User Performance in complex bi-manual haptic manipulation with 3 DOFs vs. 6 DOFs

We present the results of a comprehensive user study that evaluates the influence of the degrees of freedom on the users' performance in complex bi-manual haptic interaction tasks. To do that, we have developed a novel multi-player game that allows the qualitative as well as the quantitative evaluation of different force-feedback devices simultaneously. The game closely resembles typical tasks arising in tele-operation scenarios or virtual assembly simulations; thus, the results of our user study apply directly to real-world industrial applications. The game is based on our new haptic workspace that supports high fidelity, two-handed multi-user interactions in scenarios containing a large number of dynamically simulated rigid objects; moreover, it works independent of the objects' polygon count. The results of our user study show that 6 DOF force-feedback devices outperform 3 DOF devices significantly, both in user perception and in user performance.