Department of Mechanical Engineering

Enhancing VRAC’s haptic research capabilities

 

With a newly acquired haptic device, researchers at Iowa State’s Virtual Reality Applications Center (VRAC) are enhancing the process for designing products in a virtual environment. The Virtuose 6D35-45, a haptic device commercially developed by HAPTION, will allow Judy Vance, professor of mechanical engineering, and others to more realistically simulate product weight and contact forces while manipulating digitally displayed product models.

Product development can be a costly investment for organizations, especially when they are trying to determine which design elements best meet given product requirements. “Traditionally, the process requires engineers to develop multiple prototypes,” Vance said. “Our research has shown that this expense can be significantly reduced through the use of virtual reality technology.” 

Using computer-aided design, or CAD, models in a virtual environment allows designers and users to participate together in simulated three-dimensional computer generated environments to discuss product changes during all stages in the design process. Users interact with computer images of parts in place of real, physical parts. The haptic device simulates the forces a user would feel as these parts contact each other, mimicking the way people interact with objects in the “real world.”

Currently, most haptic devices provide force feedback that only simulate point force contact, similar to touching the object with a pen. The Virtuose device models more than just point force.  “When it is gripped by a user, the Virtuose can produce a variety of forces, including the twist and resistance that is felt when screwing a bolt into a hole or the grab and pull of unplugging a charger from a wall outlet,” Vance said.  

Research with this device will improve virtual assembly techniques in engineering environments, helping manufacturers identify problems earlier in the design process. These problems can range from difficulties in product assembly to planning for maintenance, and finding them can reduce product cost and improve quality.

“This device adds to the excellent array of equipment and devices in the VRAC that support virtual reality,” Vance said. “These facilities allow Iowa State faculty to push the boundaries of research into multiple uses of virtual reality, especially for product design and manufacturing.”

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