Integrating Haptics into an Undergraduate Computer Science Curriculum

该大学从国家科学基金会的CCLIA和AMP；I计划申请资金，用于为计算机科学和计算机工程专业本科生在触觉人机交互领域的仪器设备进行重点投资。在计算机科学和工程中，触觉是一个术语，用来描述使用触觉与虚拟世界互动的能力。在人机界面中加入触觉、视觉和声音的概念并不新鲜。自20世纪60年代的S以来，对触觉或力反馈的研究一直很活跃。最新的是，触觉功能最近才走出研究实验室，进入桌面，进入计算机使用的主流。最终，其结果将是对人机界面的根本和深刻的改进，使人们能够更好地利用计算机的能力来实现更广泛的应用。启用触觉功能将导致人类与计算机交互方式的革命性变化，在大量模拟应用中开辟数字创造力的新途径。该项目的主要目标之一是将触觉学整合到本科计算机科学课程中，并在CS425人机交互、CS375图形与虚拟现实和CS498独立研究等课程中进行高级项目。这将使计算机科学和计算机工程专业的本科生接触到为人机交互应用编程触觉设备的软件技术。学生们将试验一种可编程的三维触觉，这种触觉将允许用户感受虚拟物体的纹理和形状，调节物体，甚至使物体变形。该项目将提高学生从事更多学术活动的兴趣，例如继续攻读研究生院，并在以科学、研究为导向的机构寻找工作。这种仪器和将触觉学纳入本科教育可能会引起其他机构的兴趣，并可能导致在计算机科学和计算机工程的实验室教学中开发新的实验和方法。这个项目也可能为计算机科学和物理专业之间的合作学生项目提供一个跳板，让他们有机会在本科生水平上从事触觉模拟开发。

The University requests funds from the National Science Foundation's CCLIA&I program for focused investment for instrumentation in the area of haptic human computer interaction for undergraduates in Computer Science and Computer Engineering. Haptics in computer science and engineering is a term used to describe the ability to interact with virtual worlds using the sense of touch. The concept of including the sense of touch along with sight and sound in the human-computer interface is not new. Research in haptics or force-feedback has been active since the 1960's. What is new is that haptic functionality has just recently moved out of the research labs and onto the desktop, on its journey into the mainstream of computer usage. Ultimately, the result will be a fundamental and profound enhancement of the human-computer interface that will allow people to better utilize the power of the computer for a broader array of applications. Enabling haptic capability will produce a revolutionary change in the way humans interact with computers, opening up new avenues of digital creativity in a vast array of simulation applications.One of the primary objectives of this project is to integrate haptics into an undergraduate Computer Science curriculum with advanced projects in courses such as CS425 Human Computer Interaction, CS375 Graphics and Virtual Reality, and CS498 Independent Research. This will expose undergraduate students in Computer Science and Computer Engineering to the software techniques of programming haptic devices for human computer interaction applications. Students will be experimenting with a programmable, three-dimensional sense of touch that will allow the user to feel textures and shapes of virtual objects, modulate objects and even deform objects. This project will boost student interest in pursuing more scholarly activities such as going on to graduate school, and seeking employment in scientific, research oriented institutions. This instrumentation and the incorporation of haptics into undergraduate education may be of interest to other institutions, and may lead to the development of new experiments and approaches in laboratory instruction in Computer Science and Computer Engineering. This project may also provide a springboard for collaborative student projects between Computer Science and Physics majors giving them opportunities to engage in haptic simulation development at the undergraduate level.