No Strings Attached: Force and Vibrotactile Feedback in a Guitar Simulation

In this paper we propose a multisensory simulation of plucking guitar strings in virtual reality. The auditory feedback is generated by a physics-based simulation of guitar strings, and haptic feedback is provided by a combination of high fidelity vibrotactile actuators and a Phantom Omni haptic device. Moreover, we present a user study (n=29) exploring the perceived realism of the simulation and the relative importance of force and vibrotactile feedback for creating a realistic experience of plucking virtual strings. The study compares four conditions: no haptic feedback, vibrotactile feedback, force feedback, and a combination of force and vibrotactile feedback. The results indicate that the combination of vibrotactile and force feedback eliits the most realistic experience, and during this condition, the participants were less likely to inadvertently hit strings after the intended string had been plucked. Notably, no statistically significant differences were found between the conditions involving either vibrotactile or force feedback, which points towards an indication that haptic feedback is important but does not need to be high fidelity in order to enhance the quality of the experience.