Tactile Perception of Textiles in a Virtual-Reality System

Author: Dennis Allerkamp

Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg

Book Series : Cognitive Systems Monographs

Part of: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

Frontmatter

Introduction

Abstract

Virtual Reality (VR) has a lot of applications ranging from entertainment to mechanical design and medical training. VR systems are often used in training situations where training in a real environment would be inappropriate and possibly even dangerous. Pilots, for example, often practise on a flight simulator before flying with a new type of aeroplane. Interestingly, flight simulators are also sold as games for personal computers. Today, computer games are probably the most common VR systems.

Dennis Allerkamp

Human Perception

Abstract

Perception is the process of attaining awareness or understanding of sensory information. Together with our motor skills it is nothing less than our gate to the reality outside our psyche. As the scope of this monograph is the simulation of a certain facet of reality, namely the tactile properties of textiles, a good insight into human perception is a necessary prerequisite. The intention of this chapter is to cover the aspects of human perception that are important for this task.

Dennis Allerkamp

Devices for Tactile Simulation

Abstract

Nearly every office or home computer is capable of graphics or sound output in a quality that, because of the limits of human perception, hardly needs to be improved. The haptic impression however is limited to the contours of the keyboard and the mouse.

Dennis Allerkamp

Generation of Virtual Surfaces

Abstract

To achieve a realistic tactile simulation of fabrics a display, a tactile renderer and virtual representations of the fabrics’ surface properties are needed. The two former requisites are covered in other chapters, the latter is the scope of this chapter.

Dennis Allerkamp

Tactile Rendering

Abstract

While moving a fingertip over a fine surface we experience a sensation that gives us an idea of its properties. A satisfactory simulation of this feeling is still an unsolved problem, although a lot of different tactile displays have been developed. In most attempts to display real surfaces only a few features, like e.g. ridges and grooves, are simulated. A system for the display of real surfaces is presented in [8], but the computation of the tactile signals is only based on a photograph of the surface texture and is not further motivated with respect to its physical correctness. In this chapter rendering strategies based on vibrations, which play an important role in the tactile exploration of fine surfaces, are described. To produce appropriate excitation patterns the tactile displays described in Sect. 3.2 are used.

Dennis Allerkamp

Summary and Outlook

Abstract

The research described in this monograph is the first attempt to develop a realistic tactile simulation system for real existing surfaces. Although there exist many different tactile displays developed by various research groups,most systems are designed to convey information to visually impaired persons (e.g. [3] or [2]). Other systems are limited to the simulation of simple geometrical surface features like ridges and grooves (e.g. [4]). However, unlike the work at hand none of these systems aims at a comprehensive and realistic tactile simulation of real existing surfaces.

Dennis Allerkamp

Backmatter

Title: Tactile Perception of Textiles in a Virtual-Reality System
Author: Dennis Allerkamp
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Electronic ISBN: 978-3-642-13974-1
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-13973-4
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-13974-1

Springer Professional

Tactile Perception of Textiles in a Virtual-Reality System

Table of Contents

Frontmatter

Introduction

Human Perception

Devices for Tactile Simulation

Generation of Virtual Surfaces

Tactile Rendering

Summary and Outlook

Backmatter

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