Incorporating a Haptic Interface into Virtual Environments

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 with virtual environments. SensAble Devices, Inc. has developed the PHANTOM(TM) haptic interface, a device which enables users to touch, feel, and interact with solid virtual objects. However, much research remains to be done before this device can be effectively integrated into multi-modal virtual environments. Several military and academic labs have already purchased the PHANTOM(TM) haptic interface, but have reached a common bottle-neck in software development and interface issues. We propose to evaluate the feasibility of virtual reality platform which will incorporate the sense of touch with visual and auditory feedback. This flexible platform would eventually serve as the basis of several commercial and military virtual reality applications which incorporate the sense of touch.