Interaction with virtual object using deformable hand

This study investigated the implementation of a hand model and contact simulation method for the purpose of improving the reality of object manipulation in a virtual environment. The study focused both on the hand tracking method that takes advantage of nails and also contact simulation using a deformable hand model. The manipulation of an object using a hand, is known to make more frequent use of the fingertips and palm. The proposed method seeks hand form that minimizes the position and orientation errors on those areas. Deformation of the soft tissue of the hand is considered to have an effect on both visual reality and the physical state of contact. In our implementation, the deformation was simulated by FEM and the friction of contact was introduced by the penalty method. In addition, a model that is based on metaballs (or blobs) was employed to represent the smooth surface of the object and to eliminate the problem that derives from polygon modeling. Through experimental implementation, it was proved that object manipulation such as pinching and grasping are possible and that the update rate of simulation can be approximately 50 Hz.