[accessibleimage] touch to the virtual world

Hi,
Sending an article about haptic tools and sculpting. Am not sure I
completely understand it. But it made me think that it would allow a blind
person using the glove (which if I understand it correctly gives the
resistance feeling ) sculpt something and the 3D figure would be
transferred to  the computer as a CAD file.  The sculpting system I guess
wasn't designed for the blind in mind, but it seems a step in the
direction to the better understanding of touch and it's power and
potential.
Regards,
Lisa
P.S if I misunderstood the article please correct
Link
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/506002/
Newswise ? Researchers from the Virtual Reality Lab at the University at
Buffalo have developed a new tool for transmitting physical touch to the
virtual world.
Their virtual clay sculpting system enables users to replicate in real
time on a personal computer the physical act of sculpting a block of clay
or other malleable material. The resulting 3-D electronic shape shown on
the computer screen then can be fine-tuned for product design using
standard computer-aided design/modeling software.
"This technology will give product designers, or even artists, a tool that
will allow them to touch, shape and manipulate virtual objects just as
they would with actual clay models or sculptures," says Thenkurussi
Kesavadas, director of the UB Virtual Reality Lab and associate professor
of mechanical and aerospace engineering in the UB School of Engineering
and Applied Sciences.
"We believe this tool will be a valuable first stage in the sculpting or
molding of complex shapes, leading to the design of a variety of products
for a variety of industries," Kesavadas adds.
Kesavadas developed the tool with Ameya Kamerkar, a graduate student in
the UB Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. A provisional
patent on the technology has been applied for by the UB Office of Science
Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach.
The technology utilizes a ModelGlove developed by the researchers to
record the force exerted by hand when depressing and shaping a block of
clay. This force-feedback information, as well as information on hand
position and speed of fingertip motion, is instantaneously communicated to
a personal computer where a virtual block of clay -- possessing
characteristics mimicking the physical properties of the clay -- is shaped
precisely to the contouring of the actual clay.
In tests conducted in the UB Virtual Reality Lab, the researchers have
used the technology to sculpt and then design a prototype car hood, for
example.
The technology improves upon existing freeform NURBS (Nonuniform Rational
B-spline Surfaces) modeling techniques, the researchers say, because it is
the only technology capable of transferring touch directly from the user's
hand to the virtual object. Other technologies on the market require users
to shape a virtual object via mouse and keyboard by clicking on selected
points on a virtual object and then inputting data to change its shape.
One such haptic (touch-based) modeling system called FreeForm?, which uses
the Phantom? haptic device, is expensive and is limited in its ability to
provide multiple points of contact on its sensing tool, thus making its
use rather tedious and non-intuitive, Kesavadas says.
"Our technology is far more intuitive than click-and-drag virtual
prototyping tools currently in use," he explains. "The most natural tool
for a designer is his or her hand."
Currently the ModelGlove is equipped with a single touch sensor on the tip
of the index finger. On the computer display, the user's finger is
represented as one of three virtual tools: a sharp tool for making small
deep holes, a medium size for gauging or molding the clay and a large
diameter tool for rough shaping of surfaces.
The next generation of the ModelGlove will have sensors on all fingers and
on the palm of the hand to give users full finger control of virtual clay.
This will enable users to perform complex touch actions -- such as
kneading the ball of clay -- in the virtual environment, according to
Kesavadas.
Eventually, the UB researchers hope to develop an array of sculpting tools
using the technology.
"Anything used by hand in an artist's shop can be converted into a virtual
tool, even a potter's wheel or chisel," Kesavadas says. "The whole purpose
is to translate the natural feel of working with clay or other material to
the computer, and to have the computer understand what the designer or
artist is feeling and doing."
Kesavadas and researchers from the UB Virtual Reality Lab are leaders in
the development of haptic technologies that bring a sense of touch to
virtual reality. They also are working on touch systems with medical
applications, including technologies to transmit the feel of a patient's
abdomen over the Internet and a system to capture and replicate the force
exerted by a surgeon with scalpel.
"Touch is the next frontier in the evolution of virtual reality,"
Kesavadas says. "Most virtual-reality technologies to this point have
focused on 3D visualization, but the sense of touch may be the most
powerful way to make virtual reality more real."
The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public
university, the largest and most comprehensive campus in the State
University of New York. UB's more than 27,000 students pursue their
academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and
professional degree programs.




Lisa Yayla
Huseby Kompetansesenter 
Oslo Norway
lisa.yayla@xxxxxxxxxx

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