ThermicVib: Enabling Dynamic Thermal Sensation with Multimodal Haptic Glove for Thermal-Responsive Interaction

We propose ThermicVib, a wearable multimodal haptic glove that enhances the active perception of thermo-tactile interactions with virtual objects by integrating thermal referrals and vibrotactile phantom sensations. By fusing multimodal sensory illusions through flexible thermoelectric devices (FTED) and linear resonant actuators (LRAs), we aim to support dynamic thermal sensation adaptive to the user’s action in virtual reality (VR). Here, we developed an algorithm to render a whole-hand thermal sensation while accommodating contact and noncontact heat conditions. Based on the computed heat, we propose a simultaneous thermal and tactile rendering approach to enable dynamic thermal sensation. The user study validated the capability of our interface to support various whole-hand thermal sensations.