Physically-Inspired Modeling for Haptic Rendering

Principal Investigator: Ming Lin
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation
Agency Number: CCF-0429583

Abstract
The sense of touch is one of the most important sensory channels and is used for object identification, data manipulation and concept exploration. Therefore, force feedback via haptic (touch-enabled) devices offers many possibilities for enhanced human-computer interaction. Extending the frontier of visual computing, this project proposes to develop physically-inspired modeling and simulation techniques for high-fidelity haptic display that will augment visual display.

The proposed research will be driven by two target applications in science and education: nanomanipulation and haptic painting. Both applications will also be used to enhance science and art education at middle and high schools.

This research is expected to lay the scientific foundation for an emerging paradigm of physically-based haptic interaction with virtual environments. It includes new algorithmic insights, efficient computational methodology, and system integration for two challenging applications. The underlying representations, algorithms and software systems for fast contact computation, interactive modeling of flexible objects, multi-level optimization, use of programmable graphics hardware, simulation acceleration techniques, and VR device augmentation will also offer fundamental advances for virtual environments, physically-based modeling, and scientific visualization.

By extending the frontier of high-fidelity haptic rendering, the proposed research can develop a significant augmentation to existing graphical display and scientific visualization. Furthermore, each proposed application has the potential of making a considerable impact on its own.