Haptic Rendering of Virtual Stimuli for Fully Immersive Virtual Reality Training Systems

Immersion will investigate the value provided by haptics when used for virtual reality training. A specific virtual reality training task will be analyzed using a set of performance metrics. Force feedback will be provided to users using a variety ofdifferent haptic technologies, including both active and vibrotactile devices. Immersion will attempt to validate the performance metrics for each device by comparison with non-haptic training for the same task. The experimental data will be analyzed andreported by Immersion.Using the results of the experimental analysis, Immersion will propose a design for a haptic virtual reality training system. The system design will incorporate hardware and software requirements identified during the Phase I work.As an option, Immersion will investigate the effect of various haptic display algorithms on training efficacy. A single haptic device will be programmed to display a variety of different collision and abstract information to users. Analysis of theresults of the optional component will provide valuable specialized data for use in the Phase II effort. Immersion anticipates that the results from this phase I effort will provide valuable, objective data that can enhance new and ongoing virtual reality applications. Haptic virtual reality training can provide valuable insight into task difficulty andergonomic issues, especially for automotive and aerospace manufacturers.Existing virtual prototyping applications used for automotive and aerospace design do not incorporate haptic feedback. The addition of validated haptic feedback, along with performance measures will provide valuable data that can be incorporated into thedesign process.