Software Algorithms for Haptic Interfaces

Many labs are constructing virtual reality systems that promise to provide applications ranging from surgical training to architectural design. However, most of the virtual reality developers have missed the point by focusing solely on the quality of the visual display to provide users with a sense of realism or immersion. In reality, human beings rely heavily upon the sense of touch and force-feedback to interact with the world. The sense of touch is essential to operating or training within virtual environments. SensAble Devices, Inc. has developed the PHANToM haptic interface which enables users to touch, feel, and interact with solid virtual objects. However, much software research remains before this and other haptic devices can be efficiently integrated into multi-modal virtual environments. Several military and academic labs are already developing applications with the PHANToM haptic interface, but they have reached a common bottle-neck in software development and interface issues. We propose to develop a flexible software toolkit of basic haptic algorithms. This flexible toolkit could eventually serve as the basis of several commercial and military virtual reality applications which incorporate the sense of touch.