Haptic Gdraw: A fun and Easy to Use 3D Haptically Enhanced Sculpting Program

We have developed a simple haptically-enhanced 3D sculpting application which utilizes Hermite spline-based primitives as building blocks to construct more complex solid models. To accomplish this, we have constructed a VR work environment which is intuitive and whose control affordances are made clear through the use of graspable handles. Haptics is used to support handle selection and provide physical constraints on handle movements consistent with their visual affordances. Our goal is to demonstrate how relatively simple haptic force constraints can combine with a visually intuitive and compelling environment to enable a program that is fun and easy to use

Haptic-GeoZui3D: Exploring the Use of Haptics in AUV Path Planning

We have developed a desktop virtual reality system that we call Haptic-GeoZui3D, which brings together 3D user interaction and visualization to provide a compelling environment for AUV path planning. A key component in our system is the PHANTOM haptic device (SensAble Technologies, Inc.), which affords a sense of touch and force feedback – haptics – to provide cues and constraints to guide the user’s interaction. This paper describes our system, and how we use haptics to significantly augment our ability to lay out a vehicle path. We show how our system works well for quickly defining simple waypoint-towaypoint (e.g. transit) path segments, and illustrate how it could be used in specifying more complex, highly segmented (e.g. lawnmower survey) paths

Haptic Interface for Center of Workspace Interaction

We build upon a new interaction style for 3D interfaces, called the center of workspace interaction. This style of interaction is defined with respect to a central fixed point in 3D space, conceptually within arm\u27s length of the user. For demonstration, we show a haptically enabled fish tank VR that utilizes a set of interaction widgets to support rapid navigation within a large virtual space. The fish tank VR refers to the creation of a small but high quality virtual reality that combines a number of technologies, such as head-tracking and stereo glasses, to their mutual advantag

A study of haptic linear and pie menus in a 3D fish tank VR environment

New pop-up menu styles such as pie menus and marking menus have proven to be measurably faster and more accurate in mouse and pen-based interfaces. These characteristics suggest that they may also be useful for 3D haptically enhanced environments. This paper reports on our development and evaluation of a pie menu style and two types of linear menu styles. All utilize force to aid the user in option selection and activation. Our evaluation results show that selection using the pie menu is considerably faster and more accurate than both types of linear menu. Selection using push-through or exceed border methods was found to be superior to conventional button selection. We conclude that pop-up pie menus, with the right combination of selection method and assistive forces, can provide an excellent solution to providing menu choices in 3D haptic environments and that considering speed accuracy tradeoffs is important in making design decisions. 1

Haptic Task Constraints for 3D Interaction

We have created a haptically enabled fish tank VR that we call Haptic-GeoZui3D that utilizes a set of haptic widget and data object elements to support rapid and intuitive interaction within a large geographical data space. We leverage the center of workspace navigation metaphor with a Phantom 1.0 haptic device situated in a fish tank VR arrangement to provide a synergistic environment for developing, demonstrating and evaluating these haptic elements. We have developed several principles to guide our effort, chief of which is the notion that haptic forces should be used to provide constraints on user tasks, rather than mimic physical object forces. This paper provides a detailed overview of Haptic-GeoZui3D and it\u27s application in path planning for Autonomous Undersea Vehicles (AUVs), as well as some ideas for future development

Haptic State-Surface Interactions

Haptic state-surface interaction techniques, which encode modes into force states, make interactions with 3D objects more fluid and natural. Our techniques comprise only a subset of those necessary to support a fully functional haptic application with capabilities similar to a drawing program such as Adobe Illustrator. However, these techniques can potentially simplify some common operations, such as editing points on a curve