A touch of the virtual
The Interactive Kiosk Demonstrator intends to provide the means with which to manipulate objects within a virtual reality while providing both a sense of touch, weight and a natural look and feel. To do so, the project was based on three developments. One such is the IKD Haptic Device, a wearable interface that provides force-and tactile feedback. This provides for the delicate and intuitive manipulation of virtual objects within a virtual environment. The second is the Run-Time Platform. This platform provides the necessary means to generate rapidly and manage advanced 3D haptic applications. The third part is based on two prototypical demonstrators for edutainment applications. The "Newtonian physics, trajectories and the Solar System" and the "Virtual Model Assembly of Gears". Utilising these three developments, the project provided a virtually "real" environment in which users could gain a tactile sensory input. They could lift, rotate, push, pull, touch and place objects down again while providing a very real sense of texture, weight, relation, movement etc. Current users of the development - school children, teenagers and adults, have expressed very positive feedback regarding the technology. It is hoped that further development will generate educational as well as entertainment utilities, either enhancing the current technology or developing new ones.
