Interacting With Grasped Objects in Expanded Haptic Workspaces Using the Bubble Technique

Haptic force-feedback can provide useful cues to users of virtual environments. Body-based haptic devices are portable but the more commonly used ground-based devices have workspaces that are limited by their physical grounding to a single base position and their operation as purely position-control devices. The “bubble technique” has recently been presented as one method of expanding a user\u27s haptic workspace. The bubble technique is a hybrid position-rate control system in which a volume, or “bubble,” is defined entirely within the physical workspace of the haptic device. When the device\u27s end effector is within this bubble, interaction is through position control. When the end effector moves outside this volume, an elastic restoring force is rendered, and a rate is applied that moves the virtual accessible workspace. Publications have described the use of the bubble technique for point-based touching tasks. However, when this technique is applied to simulations where the user is grasping virtual objects with part-to-part collision detection, unforeseen interaction problems surface. Methods of addressing these challenges are introduced, along with discussion of their implementation and an informal investigation

Sistema y método de interacción en entornos virtuales utilizando dispositivos hápticos

[ES] Sistema y método de interacción en entornos virtuales. El método comprende: detectar una orden de zoom de una escena virtual inicial; generar, por parte de una unidad de procesamiento gráfico, una nueva escena virtual a partir de la escena virtual inicial con un nivel de ampliación modificado en función de la orden de zoom detectada; mapear el espacio de trabajo de un dispositivo háptico con el espacio que representa la nueva escena virtual; y representar la nueva escena virtual. La orden de zoom se puede realizar mediante pulsación de un botón del dispositivo háptico o mediante comando de voz. La orden de zoom es una instrucción que permite modificar progresivamente el nivel de ampliación de la escena virtual inicial o modificar puntualmente el nivel de ampliación de la escena virtual inicial según un determinado valor predefinido

Expanding the usable workspace of a haptic device by placing it on a moving base

The goal of this research is to expand the reachable workspace of a haptic device when used in a projection screen virtual environment. The proposed method includes supplementing the haptic device with a redundant degree of freedom to provide motion of the base. The key research challenge is to develop controls for the mobile base that will keep the haptic end-effector in the usable haptic workspace at all times. An experimental set up consisting of an Omni haptic device and a XY motorized table was used in the development of the control algorithms. Tests were conducted which demonstrate that the force felt by the user when touching a virtual wall remains constant even when the mobile base is moving to re-center the haptic device in the usable haptic workspace

Enabling natural interaction for virtual reality

This research focuses on the exploration of software and methods to support natural interaction within a virtual environment. Natural interaction refers to the ability of the technology to support human interactions with computer generated simulations that most accurately reflect interactions with real objects. Over the years since the invention of computer-aided design tools, computers have become ubiquitous in the product design process. Increasingly, engineers and designers are using immersive virtual reality to evaluate virtual products throughout the entire design process. The goal of this research is to develop tools that support verisimilitude, or likeness to reality, particularly with respect to human interaction with virtual objects. Increasing the verisimilitude of the interactions and experiences in a virtual environment has the potential to increase the external validity of such data, resulting in more reliable decisions and better products. First, interface software is presented that extends the potential reach of virtual reality to include low-cost, consumer-grade motion sensing devices, thus enabling virtual reality on a broader scale. Second, a software platform, VR JuggLua, is developed to enable rapid and iterative creation of natural interactions in virtual environments, including by end-user programmers. Based on this software platform, the focus of the rest of the research is on supporting virtual assembly and decision making. The SPARTA software incorporates a powerful physically-based modeling simulation engine tuned for haptic interaction. The workspace of a haptic device is both virtually expanded, though an extension to the bubble technique, and physically expanded, through integration of a haptic device with a multi-directional mobile platform. Finally, a class of hybrid methods for haptic collision detection and response is characterized in terms of five independent tasks. One such novel hybrid method, which selectively restores degrees of freedom in haptic assembly, is developed and assessed with respect to low-clearance CAD assembly. It successfully maintains the high 1000 Hz update rate required for stable haptics unlike previous related approaches. Overall, this work forms a pattern of contributions towards enabling natural interaction for virtual reality and advances the ability to use an immersive environment in decision making during product design

Αναγνώριση υφών μέσω απτικής συσκευής ανάδρασης - Σύγκριση νεαρών ενηλίκων τυπικής όρασης και με οπτική αναπηρία

Διπλωματική εργασία--Πανεπιστήμιο Μακεδονίας, Θεσσαλονίκη, 2018.Στην παρούσα ερευνητική εργασία μελετάται η σύγκριση ανάμεσα σε νεαρούς ενήλικες με τυπική όραση και οπτική αναπηρία στην αναγνώριση υφών μέσω της απτικής συσκευής ανάδρασης Phantom Omni, με απώτερο στόχο να προσδιοριστεί η δυνατότητα χρήσης αυτών των υφών για την παρουσίαση τρισδιάστατων αντικειμένων και ιδιοτήτων τους. Οι εικονικές υφές μπορούν να αυξήσουν την αίσθηση της πραγματικότητας ενός αντικειμένου και να μεταφέρουν πληροφορίες για αυτό. Η μελέτη των εικονικών υφών δεν έχει λάβει την απαιτούμενη επιστημονική προσοχή και χρήζει ιδιαίτερου ενδιαφέροντος, εάν αναλογιστεί κανείς τα οφέλη μιας τέτοιας έρευνας σε πρακτικό επίπεδο. Στην έρευνα έλαβαν μέρος 58 άτομα, εκ των οποίων τα 28 είναι με τυπική όραση και τα 30 με οπτική αναπηρία, ηλικίας 19-36 χρονών. Στατιστικές αναλύσεις διεξήχθησαν για να αξιολογηθούν οι διαφορές μεταξύ των φύλων και των ομάδων ως προς τις επιδόσεις τους. Σύμφωνα με τα αποτελέσματα, οι συμμετέχοντες με τυπική όραση παρουσιάζουν καλύτερες επιδόσεις στην αναγνώριση εικονικών υφών από ότι τα άτομα με οπτική αναπηρία, ανεξαρτήτως φύλου. Βάσει του ποσοστού επιτυχίας των επιδόσεων όλων των συμμετεχόντων, οι συγκεκριμένες υφές μπορούν να χρησιμοποιηθούν για την παρουσίαση τρισδιάστατων αντικειμένων και ιδιοτήτων τους

Exploring the Influence of Haptic Force Feedback on 3D Selection

This thesis studies the effects of haptic force feedback on 3D interaction performance. To date, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) in three dimensions is not well understood. Within platforms, such as Immersive Virtual Environments (IVEs), implementing `good' methods of interaction is difficult. As reflected by the lack of 3D IVE applications in common use, typical performance constraints include inaccurate tracking, lack of additional sensory inputs, in addition to general design issues related to the implemented interaction technique and connected input devices. In total, this represents a broad set of multi-disciplinary challenges. By implementing techniques that address these problems, we intend to use IVE platforms to study human 3D interaction and the effects of different types of feedback. A promising area of work is the development of haptic force feedback devices. Also called haptic interfaces, these devices can exert a desired force onto the user simulating a physical interaction. When described as a sensory cue, it is thought that this information is important for the selection and manipulation of 3D objects. To date, there are a lot of studies investigating how best to integrate haptic devices within IVEs. Whilst there are still fundamental integration and device level problems to solve, previous work demonstrates that haptic force feedback can improve 3D interaction performance. By investigating this claim further, this thesis explores the role of haptic force feedback on 3D interaction performance in more detail. In particular, we found additional complexities whereby different types of haptic force feedback conditions can either help but also hinder user performance. By discussing these new results, we begin to examine the utility of haptic force feedback. By focusing our user studies on 3D selection, we explored the influence of haptic force feedback on the strategies taken to target virtual objects when using either `distal' and `natural' interaction technique designs. We first outlined novel methods for integrating and calibrating large scale haptic devices within a CAVE-like IVE. Secondly, we described our implementation of distal and natural selection techniques tailored to the available hardware, including the collision detection mechanisms used to render different haptic responses. Thirdly, we discussed the evaluation framework used to assess different interaction techniques and haptic force feedback responses within a common IVE setup. Finally, we provide a detailed assessment of user performance highlighting the effects of haptic force feedback on 3D selection, which is the main contribution of this work. We expect the presented findings will add to the existing literature that evaluates novel 3D interaction technique designs for IVEs. We also hope that this thesis will provide a basis to develop future interaction models that include the effects of haptic force feedback