Haptic rendering

It is a process of applying forces to the user through a force-feed back device. The major difference between haptic devices and other input interface such as mouse and keyboard is that it will give force feedback based on the virtual environment.

Using haptic rendering, we can enable a user to touch, feel and manipulate virtual objects. Enhance a user’s experience in virtual environment.

Imaging after twenty years, when we play computer games, we can wear some haptic device. Then we can do some exercise while playing games. Then more computer games, more healthy .

Goal of haptic rendering

• Enable a user to touch, feel and manipulate virtual objects
• Enhance a user’s experience in a synthetic environment
• Provide a natural intuitive interface

Rendering

The process of converting the 3D geometrical models populating a virtual world into a 2D scene presented to the user.

The Haptics Rendering Pipeline

Collision detection stage

• Load the physical characteristics of the 3D objects from the database
• Perform collision detection to determine which virtual objects collide

Force computation stage

• Compute the collision forces
• Force smoothing
• Force mapping

Tactile computation stage

• Render the touch feedback component of the simulation
• The computed effects are added to the force vector send to the haptics output display

The haptics rendering pipeline has a much less standardized architecture compared to its graphics counterpart.