How force perception changes in different refresh rate conditions

In this work we consider the role of different refresh rates of the force feedback physical engine for haptics environments, such as robotic surgery and virtual reality surgical training systems. Two experimental force feedback tasks are evaluated in a virtual environment. Experiment I is a passive contact task, where the hand-grip is held waiting for the force feedback perception given by the contact with virtual objects. Experiment II is an active contact task, where a tool is moved in a direction until the contact perception with a pliable object. Different stiffnesses and refresh rates are factorially manipulated. To evaluate differences in the two tasks, we account for latency time inside the wall, penetration depth, and maximum force exerted against the object surface. The overall result of these experiments shows an improved sensitivity in almost all variables considered with refresh rates of 500 and 1,000 Hz compared with a refresh rate of 250 Hz, but no improved sensitivity is showed among them. © 2011 IEEE.