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You can now touch, grip and even manipu-late "impossible objects"-like
pick up a jumbo jet while standing on an asteroid, play a yo-yo on Mars.
Scientists have long been searching for a way to make virtual reality (VR) even
more realistic with the sensation of touch. Now, linked with another branch of
the computing and engineering sector, Haptics, this exciting possibility has
arrived. Haptics is a term for physical sensors that provide a sense of touch at
skin level and forces feedback information from muscles and joints.
Training simulations for highly skilled tasks such as surgery are among the
new applications, which are being tested. Because virtual models can be created
of practically anything-including impossible objects-users can
"physically" feel their way around something that could not exist in
reality because it does not conform to known natural physical laws.
 "Until
now the technology has been limited to simulations of single point or probe
contact, whereas tactile exploration is often multi-fingered and relies heavily
on vision to support the perception," says Dr William Harwin, Department of
Cybernetics at Reading University, Southern England. Dr Harwin's team is now
exploring a variety of possible applications. For example, it could improve
medical training, by allowing surgeons to practice procedures in a virtual
environment where mistakes have no terrible consequences. It could also be used
for better human/machine interfaces.
From London Press Service
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