Advanced Virtual Environment Haptic Simulation

Virtual training environments are becoming increasingly important to the U.S. Army for training warfighters as the Army transitions to Objective Force. However, in support of better simulation, the incorporation of haptics has lagged behind the simulation of visual and auditory cues. Reasons for this include the difficulty of simulating tactile information, limitations in hardware and software supporting haptic, and the lack of research on how best to utilize haptics. The proposed work is intended to advance the utilization of haptic technologies in virtual training environments. During Phase I, CHI Systems, Inc. teamed with the University of Central Florida's Institute for Simulation and Training (IST) to (a) provide recommendations for haptic technologies that can be used to support training in virtual environment (VE) training systems, and (b) provide a haptics system design. In Phase II we propose to implement and evaluate the haptic system, integrate the haptics system into a specific VE training environment, and develop a haptics system product-termed TouchDimensions. TouchDimensions will be a modular system that is customizable for different VE training environments and that includes a library of haptic signatures for different applications (e.g., training in MOUT, Buddy Aid, and first responder scenarios).