Session: 03-15-04: Smart Manufacturing and Robotics for the Future IV

Paper Number: 166489

Design and Validation of a Low-Cost VR Glove for Hand Tracking in Virtual Environments 

Hand tracking technology has become a fundamental component of immersive Virtual Reality (VR) systems, enabling natural and intuitive user interactions that bridge the gap between physical and virtual environments. Traditional hand-tracking solutions, such as optical motion capture systems and high-end VR gloves, often come with significant cost and hardware complexity, limiting their accessibility for researchers, developers, and end-users. This research presents the design, development, and experimental validation of a low-cost VR glove system that leverages flex sensors to track finger movements accurately and map them onto a 3D hand model in Unity.

The proposed system integrates an Arduino-based data acquisition framework, where flex sensor readings are transmitted via serial communication to a custom C# script. This script processes the incoming data in real time, converting the raw sensor values into precise rotation angles that animate a virtual hand model. A key aspect of this implementation is ensuring smooth and responsive tracking while maintaining accuracy across different hand gestures. Calibration techniques are applied to account for sensor variability and user-specific hand dynamics, improving the system’s overall precision and usability.

One of the key innovations of this work is the development of an adaptive algorithm designed to address the unique biomechanics of the human thumb. Unlike other fingers, the thumb’s complex range of motion poses challenges in traditional tracking methods. By implementing customized thresholds and calibration procedures, the system enhances tracking fidelity, particularly for gestures that involve simultaneous finger and thumb movements. Experimental validation was conducted within a VR environment, where users performed predefined gestures such as grasping, pointing, and pinching. The results demonstrated that the system accurately replicates these gestures in real time, with minimal latency and high responsiveness.

This research highlights the broad applicability of the developed system across multiple domains, including VR-based training simulations, medical rehabilitation, and human-computer interaction. In medical rehabilitation, the glove can be used to monitor and guide patients’ hand movements during therapy sessions, providing real-time feedback to both patients and clinicians. In industrial VR training scenarios, the system facilitates realistic hand-based interactions with virtual tools and machinery, enhancing training effectiveness.

The research contributes to the field by offering a cost-effective alternative to expensive motion capture gloves, making advanced hand-tracking technology more accessible for a wide range of VR applications. Additionally, the modular design of the system allows for future extensions, such as integrating inertial measurement units (IMUs) for wrist tracking and haptic feedback mechanisms to enhance user immersion. These potential enhancements could further improve the realism and responsiveness of VR interactions.

Developed at TalTech, Estonia, this work underscores the potential of affordable, high-performance solutions in the evolving extended reality (XR) landscape. By addressing key challenges in finger tracking and demonstrating practical applications, this research aims to expand the accessibility and usability of VR-based hand-tracking systems for diverse real-world use cases.

Presenting Author: Vladimir Kuts Tallinn University of Technology

Presenting Author Biography: Dr. Kuts is a passionate engineer, professor ( research and education), and project manager with over ten years of experience in various fields related to manufacturing virtualization, digitization, and robotization. He holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering, focusing on developing a novel digital twin methodology for robot cell connectivity in smart industry environments.

Dr. Vladimir leads the Industrial Virtual and Augmented Reality Lab at TalTech, where he conducts research and supervises projects related to VR, AR, digital twins, and robotics. His mission is to advance the state of the art in these fields and to foster innovation and collaboration among academia and industry.

Authors:

Priyanshi Sharma Indian Institute of Technology Patna
Ármin László Reményi Tallinn Institute of Technology
Vladimir Kuts Tallinn University of Technology
Rupal Srivastava South East Technological University, Waterford