first transatlantic touch
:: virtual reality touch
In a milestone that conjures up the refrain to a Paul McCartney song, researchers at MIT
and University College London have linked 'hands across the water' in the first transatlantic
touch, literally 'feeling' each other's manipulations of a small box on a computer screen. The
MIT researchers supplied the haptics expertise for the work; the UCL team covered software development
and network issues.
Potential applications abound. "In addition to sound and vision, virtual reality programs
could include touch as well," said Mandayam A. Srinivasan, director of MIT's Touch Lab and
leader of the MIT team.
The demonstration of long-distance touch involves a computer and a small robotic arm that takes
the place of a mouse. A user can manipulate the arm by clasping its end, which resembles a thick
stylus. The overall system creates the sensation of touch by exerting a precisely controlled
force on the user's fingers. On the computer screen, each user sees a three-dimensional room.
Within that room are a black box and two tiny square pointers that show the users where they
are in the room. They then use the robotic arms to collaboratively lift the box. That's where
the touch comes in. As a user at MIT moves the arm—and therefore the pointer—to touch
the box, he can 'feel' the box, which has the texture of hard rubber. The user in London does
the same thing. Together they attempt to pick up the box—one applying force from the left,
the other from the right—and hold it as long as possible. All the while, each user can
feel the other's manipulations of the box. >from *MIT
and London team report first transatlantic touch*, october 28, 2002
related context
> reach
out and touch molecules (about a haptic device). july 16, 2002
> researchers discover
molecule that detects touch. october 26, 2000
> mit
touch lab research explores how the hand works. march 18, 1999
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