Stereoscopic-haptic virtual environments

Citation

(2003), "Stereoscopic-haptic virtual environments", Industrial Robot, Vol. 30 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.2003.04930fad.008

Stereoscopic-haptic virtual environments

Stereoscopic-haptic virtual environments

Keywords: Haptics, VR, Patents

Applicant: Technical University of Texas, USAPatent number: US2002084996Publication date: 4 July 2002Title: Development of stereoscopic-haptic virtual environments

A virtual-haptic environment is presented that can be used to advantage to simulate and teach surgical procedures. Computer haptics that simulates human sense of touch is provided with visual stereoscopy that simulates our natural depth perception and feeling of touch.

The invention includes generating a stereoscopic-haptic interface to simulate human sense of touch and depth perception with display 3D information in a flat 2D environment. The haptic interface and stereoscopic technologies comprise generating stereoscopic images using, active stereoscopic displays where shutter glasses shutter on and off in synchrony, interlaced video displays and a stencil buffer to draw images on different scan lines; and making a stereoscopic-haptic system using a point- based haptic device, all with supporting software. The haptic environments are created independently of their graphical representations allowing for independent development and troubleshooting. The visual 3D is accomplished with a single camera that is moved to simulate the position of the left eye and then the right eye. The image in each position is stored in a stencil buffer that records the left eye image on even scan lines and the right eye image on the odd scan lines of an interlaced video system. The presentation of the two images via the shuttered glasses to the corresponding eye in a coordinated fashion and the coordinated haptic device allows for 3D visualization and corresponding touching to be experienced by the user in the virtual environment.