Design and Development of a Novel Haptic Device for Plucked Musical Instrument AR Simulation

Haptic devices have emerged as a promising technology for enhancing the experience of playing virtual musical instruments by providing tactile feedback to the user. This paper presents a novel haptic device that emulates plucked musical instruments as part of an augmented reality (AR) system. This wearable device features a pair of parallel 5-bar mechanism that provides haptic feedback. While initially developed to simulate harp playing, this technology could also be applied to emulate fingerstyle guitars, banjos, and other plucked instruments. The system can detect the position of a finger relative to a virtual string's projected position and provide haptic feedback by moving a string piece against the fingertip. Upon detecting a plucking motion, the device plays a musical note based on the virtual string's projection the finger is closest to and moves the string piece back to its rest position. The device has been designed, developed, and tested to ensure functionality and user comfort.