Sponsor: Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency Grant No. DAAD17-99-C-0060
Project Staff: Mandayam A. Srinivasan, W. L. Sachtler, Jung Kim
We have upgraded the Virtual
Workbench, which serves as a visuo-haptic testbed in which graphical
and haptic renditions of 3-D objects can be overlaid in space in such
a way that virtual objects can be touched where they are seen. Aided by
advances in graphics cards targeted at the video game market, the system
is now based on a dual-processor Pentium III PC, which facilitates communication
between the haptics and graphics rendering pipelines. The haptic interface
consists of a Sensable Technologies Phantom, which is now controlled via
the commercially available GHOST software package, facilitiating rapid
model and application prototyping. Graphics are rendered on a standard
monitor fitted with a Crystal Eyes system to permit 3-D viewing of scenes.
The system supports a number of research projects by providing software
libraries developed on site that (1) permit auto-calibration of the haptic
device at startup, (2) provide a unified framework for loading parameters
to align the haptic and graphic coordinate systems within an application,
and (3) facilitate regular measurement and update of the calibration settings.
We are investigating the use of this system for human-computer interaction
methods that make use of our intuitive facility for object manipulation.
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