Virtual touch within reach
Haptic technology simulates the sense of touch, allowing computer users to interact with virtual worlds by receiving tactile feedback. It serves to assist users to perceive physical characteristics of the virtual space, such as the location and nature of objects. Haptic devices are not extensively used in multi-user virtual environment applications due to their cost and integration difficulties. The MUVII project aimed at developing two new Man -Machine - Interface Devices featuring haptic feed back, called Haptic-3D-Interfaces (H3DI). This was based on the use of the return of sensation as the metaphor of force feedback, allowing for low cost and easily reproducible devices. The H3DI can accept communication time delays and it can be mass-produced at a very low cost. In the context of the project, two demonstrators of the H3DI were developed in order to demonstrate its functionality, which are the Immersive Theatre Demonstrator (ITD) and the Interactive Kiosk Demonstrator (IKD). The Immersive Theatre Demonstrator enhances the immersion of each spectator in the virtual world using haptic technology. The Haptic Interactive Kiosk demonstrates how haptic interfaces can be used on educational procedures through complex scientific or cultural experiments. These prototypes are in contact with the public so as to produce a reliable validation feedback for future adapted mass-products. The ITD and IKD devices use low cost haptic metaphors and this offers promising opportunities for future economic exploitation through industrialisation and commerce of the new products. Such activities are currently in process aiming at turning the IKD prototype into a commercial product able to be interfaced with other existing products. In this direction, partnerships for further manufacturing, testing, and commerce are invited.
