Abstract: A system and method including software to aid in generation of panels and control instruments rapidly generates a station that can support a variety of control interfaces. Rapid-Prototyped Panels, or RP-Panels, replicate existing systems (for simulation, training, gaming, etc.) or from new designs (for human factors testing, as functional product, etc.). The controls have tactile and visual characteristics similar or identical to their functional component counterparts such as buttons, knobs, switches, pedals, joysticks, steering wheels, and touch panels but are modular and use alternative data transfer modes (potentiometers, fiber optics, RFID, machine vision, etc.) to track and analyze the response of the controls. The response is then transmitted to the host programs. With this method a user can design and fabricate a reconfigurable interface to interact with virtual environments for various applications such as simulation, training, virtual instrumentation, gaming, human factors testing, etc.

Abstract: An application coherency manager (ACM) implements and manages the interdependencies of simulation, data, and platform information to simplify the task of organizing and executing large simulations composed of numerous models and data files. One or more file systems or repositories stories raw data in the form of files, data, or models, and a graphical users interface (GUI) enabling a user to enter and receive results from a query involving the files, data, or models. One or more coherency checking modules (CCMs) are operative to determine the types and versions of, and compatibility between, the files, data, or models. A database stores processed information about the file systems or repositories and the results of previous queries, and a data aggregator and manager (DAM) that manages the flow of information between the file system or repository, the GUI, the CCMs, and the database.

Abstract: Methods are presented for authoring geometrical databases which incorporate touch or haptic feedback. In particular, a database of geometrical elements incorporates attributes necessary to support haptic interactions such as stiffness, hardness, friction, and so forth. Users may instantiate objects designed through CAD/CAM environments or attach haptic or touch attributes to subcomponents such as surfaces or solid sub-objects. The resulting haptic/visual databases or world-describing models can then be viewed and touched using a haptic browser or other appropriate user interface.

Abstract: Methods are presented for authoring geometrical databases which incorporate touch or haptic feedback. In particular, a database of geometrical elements incorporates attributes necessary to support haptic interactions such as stiffness, hardness, friction, and so forth. Users may instantiate objects designed through CAD/CAM environments or attach haptic or touch attributes to subcomponents such as surfaces or solid sub-objects. The resulting haptic/visual databases or world-describing models can then be viewed and touched using a haptic browser or other appropriate user interface.

Abstract: Methods are presented for authoring geometrical databases which incorporate touch or haptic feedback. In particular, a database of geometrical elements incorporates attributes necessary to support haptic interactions such as stiffness, hardness, friction, and so forth. Users may instantiate objects designed through CAD/CAM environments or attach haptic or touch attributes to subcomponents such as surfaces or solid sub-objects. The resulting haptic/visual databases or world-describing models can then be viewed and touched using a haptic browser or other appropriate user interface.

Abstract: A haptic pointing device includes a plurality of rigid, elongated proximal members, each connected to a separate rigid, elongated distal member through an articulating joint. The other end of each proximal member is coupled to an actuator such as a motor, causing that member to swing within a separate plane perpendicular to the shaft of the motor in response to a control signal. An end-effector is interconnected to the second end of each distal member through an articulating joint, such that as the actuators move the proximal members, the end-effector moves in space. In a preferred embodiment, the device includes at least three proximal members and three distal members, and the end-effector is coupled to a user-graspable element such as a stylus which retains a preferred orientation in space as the members are driven by the actuators.

Abstract: Methods are presented for authoring geometrical databases which incorporate touch or haptic feedback. In particular, a database of geometrical elements incorporates attributes necessary to support haptic interactions such as stiffness, hardness, friction, and so forth. Users may instantiate objects designed through CAD/CAM environments or attach haptic or touch attributes to subcomponents such as surfaces or solid sub-objects. The resulting haptic/visual databases or world-describing models can then be viewed and touched using a haptic browser or other appropriate user interface.

Abstract: A haptic pointing device includes a plurality of rigid, elongated proximal members, each connected to a separate rigid, elongated distal member through an articulating joint. The other end of each proximal member is coupled to an actuator such as a motor, causing that member to swing within a separate plane perpendicular to the shaft of the motor in response to a control signal. An end-effector is interconnected to the second end of each distal member through an articulating joint, such that as the actuators move the proximal members, the end-effector moves in space. In a preferred embodiment, the device includes at least three proximal members and three distal members, and the end-effector is coupled to a user-graspable element such as a stylus which retains a preferred orientation in space as the members are driven by the actuators.

Abstract: A haptic pointing device includes a plurality of rigid, elongated proximal members, each connected to a separate rigid, elongated distal member through an articulating joint. The other end of each proximal member is coupled to an actuator such as a motor, causing that member to swing within a separate plane perpendicular to the shaft of the motor in response to a control signal. An end-effector is interconnected to the second end of each distal member through an articulating joint, such that as the actuators move the proximal members, the end-effector moves in space. In a preferred embodiment, the device includes at least three proximal members and three distal members, and the end-effector is coupled to a user-graspable element such as a stylus which retains a preferred orientation in space as the members are driven by the actuators.

Abstract: An improved method of pose determination and tracking does away with conventional segmentation while taking advantage of multi-degree-of-freedom numerical fitting or match filtering as opposed to a syntactic segment or feature oriented combinatorial match. The technique may be used to improve image database query based on object shape descriptors by allowing the user to request images from a database or video sequence which contain a key object described by a geometric description that the user designates or supplies. The approach is also applicable to target or object acquisition and tracking based on the matching of one or a set of object shape data structures.

Abstract: Methods are presented for authoring geometrical databases which incorporate touch or haptic feedback. In particular, a database of geometrical elements incorporates attributes necessary to support haptic interactions such as stiffness, hardness, friction, and so forth. Users may instantiate objects designed through CAD/CAM environments or attach haptic or touch attributes to subcomponents such as surfaces or solid sub-objects. The resulting haptic/visual databases or world-describing models can then be viewed and touched using a haptic browser or other appropriate user interface.

Abstract: A method of browsing geometrical databases through touch or haptic feedback is disclosed which presents a tactile virtual reality to a user, facilitating the simultaneous browsing, or viewing, touching, attaching to, or manipulation of object descriptions contained within files both visually and haptically. The files may be local to a computer system or located across a network on one or more computer systems. In a preferred embodiment, the invention preferably renders haptic features using a layered architecture to support multiple axes per device, multiple devices per servo layer, multiple servo layers per communications layer, and multiple applications accessing common or different force-feedback devices.