SBIR: Exhibiting Intuitive Touch Feedback for Virtual Reality

这个项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力将在广泛的应用中看到。这些应用包括虚拟现实和视频游戏，以及与计算机辅助设计（CAD）或医疗模型进行物理交互；建立互动化学模型；体验物理模拟；将STEM（科学技术工程数学）培训的工程课程带入生活；在微创手术中更好地将外科医生与医疗程序联系起来。想象一下，如果不是用电脑鼠标与CAD或分子模型交互，而是足够便宜，你可以使用开发的触觉设备在3D环境中抓取模型，并拉动它来感受紧固件或分子键的强度。虽然这些交互已经可以用桌面界面(如Novint？我们的技术可以以更低的价格实现这一目标，也可以用于大型工作空间应用，比如玩视频游戏或在家庭客厅里进行VR探索。这个项目也将有助于理解人类对触摸的感知。本项目涉及的技术领域是？人类辅助技术和生物相关机器人？以及消费电子市场。这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目旨在满足直观、沉浸式和廉价触觉技术的市场需求。随着廉价的3D头戴式显示器（hmd）的出现，人们对虚拟现实（VR）重新燃起了兴趣，从而推动了这一需求。当前的触觉界面要么太昂贵，工作空间有限，要么太粗糙，无法描绘力/扭矩相互作用。该公司假设，它可以创造一种非接地的触觉运动控制器，可以模拟力反馈，价格将适用于消费者虚拟现实。这项研究将利用游戏控制器界面手柄内的触觉剪切反馈。控制器内的执行器将对用户施加摩擦和剪切力。这只手将根据虚拟现实物理引擎模拟的相互作用力来驱动。这将创造一个集成的触觉体验，将用户连接到虚拟环境。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will be seen across a broad number of applications. These applications include virtual reality and video games, as well as, physically interacting with computer-aided design (CAD) or medical models; creating interactive chemistry models; experiencing physics simulations; bringing engineering curriculum for STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) training to life; and better connecting a surgeon to a medical procedure during minimally invasive surgery. Imagine if instead of interacting with a CAD or molecular model with a computer mouse, it was inexpensive enough that you could use the developed haptic device to grab the model within a 3D environment and pull on it to feel the strength of fasteners or molecular bonds. While these interactions can already be portrayed with desktop interfaces like Novint?s Falcon force feedback device, our technology could do this at a much lower price point and could also be used in large workspace applications like playing video games or exploring in VR a home living room. This project will also contribute to the understanding of the human perception of touch. This project relates to the technology area of ?Human Assistive Technologies and Bio-related Robotics? and the consumer electronics market segment. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project seeks to meet the market demand for intuitive, immersive, and inexpensive haptic technologies. This demand has been fueled by the renewed interest in virtual reality (VR) with the availability of inexpensive 3-dimentional (3D) head-mounted displays (HMDs). Current haptic interfaces are either too expensive and have limited workspaces or are too crude to portray force/torque interactions. The company hypothesizes that it can create an ungrounded haptic motion controller that can emulate force feedback at a price that will be viable for consumer virtual reality. This research will utilize tactile shear feedback within the handle of a game controller interface. Actuators within the controller will apply friction and shear forces to the user?s hand, which will in turn be driven based on simulated interaction forces from a VR physics engine. This will create an integrated haptic experience that will connect the user to the virtual environment.