Desktop Haptic Virtual Assembly Using Physically-Based Modeling

Brad M. Howard
Graduate Student
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Virtual Reality Applications Center
Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa 50011

Judy M. Vance
Professor and Chair of Mechanical Engineering
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Virtual Reality Applications Center
Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa 50011-2160

Howard, Brad M., Vance, Judy M., “Desktop haptic virtual assembly using physically-based modeling,” Virtual Reality, vol. 11, no. 4, October 2007, pp. 207-215.

Abstract
This research investigates the feasibility of using a desktop haptic virtual environment as a design tool for evaluating assembly operations. Bringing virtual reality characteristics to the desktop, such as stereo vision, further promotes the use of this technology into the every day engineering process. In creating such a system, the affordability and availability of hardware/software tools is taken into consideration. The resulting application combines several software packages including VR Juggler, open dynamics engine (ODE)/open physics abstraction layer (OPAL), OpenHaptics, and OpenGL/GLM/GLUT libraries to explore the benefits and limitations of combining haptics with physically based modelling. The equipment used to display stereo graphics includes a Stereographics emitter, Crystal Eyes shutter glasses, and a high refresh rate CRT monitor. One or two-handed force feedback is obtained from various PHANTOM haptic devices from SensAble Technologies Inc. The application’s ability to handle complex part interactions is tested using two different computer systems, which approximate the higher and lower end of a typical engineer’s workstation. Different test scenarios are analyzed and results presented.

Keywords: Haptics I/O, Computer-aided design, physically based modeling, virtual reality.