Output Devices:

Graphics, 3-D Sound, Haptics and olfactory

Output Devices

The human senses need specialized interfaces

 Graphics displays for visual feedback;

 3-D audio hardware for localized sound;
 Haptic interfaces for force and touch feedback;
 Interested in smell and not yet in taste feedback.
Output Devices

Definition:

A graphics display is a computer interface

that presents synthetic world images to
one or several users interacting with the
virtual world.
Output Devices

Graphics Displays

 Human stereo viewing;

 Personal displays;
 Large volume displays:
–Active glasses
– Workbenches;
– Microsoft Surface
– Caves;
– Walls;
Output Devices
Human Visual System

 Vision is the dominant sensorial channel;

 Depth perception in mono images is based

- on occlusion (one objects blocks another

from view;
- on shadows, textures and motion parallax

(closer images appear to move more than

distant ones)
Human Visual System-continued

 Depth perception in stereo is based on seteropsis

when the brain registers and fuses two images;
 Image parallax means that the two eyes

register different images (horizontal shift);

 The amount of shift depends on the “inter-
pupillary distance” (IPD) (varies for each person in
the range of 53-73 mm);
 Works in the near field (to a few meters from the
eye)
Output Devices
Output Devices (same principle
used in new 3D HDTVs)

Left eye image

Right eye image

Output Devices
Implications for Stereo Viewing devices
 Need to present two images of the same VR
environment;
 The two images can be presented at the same
time on two displays (HMD);
 The two images can also be presented time-
sequenced on one display (active glasses);
 The two images can also be presented spatially-
sequenced on one display (auto-stereoscopic
displays).
Output Devices

Personal Displays
Definition:

A graphics display that outputs a virtual

scene destined to be viewed by a single
user. Such image may be monoscopic or
stereoscopic, monocular (for a single eye)
or binocular (displayed on both eyes).
Output Devices

Personal Displays
 Head Mounted Displays;
 3-D Binoculars (hand supported);
 Booms (floor supported);
 Virtual windows (floor supported);
 Auto-stereoscopic displays (desk supported).
Simplified HMD optics model
Output Devices

HMD Characteristics
 Stereo or monoscopic
 Resolution;
 Field of view (horizontal);
 Field of view (vertical);
 Weight
 Price
HMD integration in a VR system

Consumer HMD

Professional HMD
Output Devices

HMD Field of view (FoV) – what is good enough?

Horizontal FoV Vertical FoV

Sensics survey
Output Devices

HMD Resolution– what is good enough?

Sensics survey
Output Devices

HMD Weight – what is good enough?

Sensics survey
Output Devices

HMD Characteristics (Summary)

A field of view of at least 120x50 degrees.

At least 1600x1200 resolution, but preferably HD
1080.
Bright displays with a very fast dynamic response.
No more than 250 grams (8-10 oz) in weight.
Easy user interface and cable management
(based on responses from 84 universities)
 AMLCD display,
Resolution: 267x225
FOV: 30x23 degrees–
Equivalent to 62 in at 2 m
Weight: 100 grams
Can be worn over glasses

Olympus Eye Trek Face Mounted Display (FMD 200)

 Olympus Eye Trek Head Mounted Display Optics
– uses free-form lens to compensate for aberrations;
- an eccentric optical system to reduce size (eliminate 45 degree mirror)
Olympus Eye Trek Face Mounted Display Optics
Daeyang “cy-visor” Face Mounted Display

LCOS display,
Resolution: 800x600
FOV: 60x43 degrees–
Weight: 160 grams
Can be worn over glasses

Liquid Crystal on Silicon display (LCOS)

Daeyang “cy-visor” Face Mounted Display

It is reflective – needs external lighting

 Organic LEDs (OLED)
Active-matrix OLED display, each pixel can be addressed independently via
the associated TFT’s and capacitors in the electronic back plane.  Each pixel
element can be selected to stay “on” during the entire frame time.  Since OLED is
an emissive device, the display aperture factor is not critical.
            There are no intrinsic limitations to the pixel count, resolution, or size
of an active-matrix OLED display, leaving the possibilities for commercial use
open to our imagination.  Also, because of the TFT’s in the active-matrix design,
a defective pixel produces only a dark effect, which is considered to be much less
objectionable than a bright point defect, like found in LCD’s.
 Organic LEDs (OLED)
Robust Design - OLED’s are tough enough to use in portable devices

Viewing Angles –up to 160 degrees screens provide a clear image, even in bright
light.

High Resolution –Each pixel can be turned on or off independently to create

multiple colors in a fluid and smooth edged display.

 “Electronic Paper” – OLED’s are paper-thin.  Due to the exclusion of certain

hardware goods that normal LCD’s require, OLED’s are as thin as a dime.

 Production Advantages –20% to 50% cheaper than LCD processes. 

Video Capabilities –handle streamlined video, which could revolutionize the PDA
and cellular phone market.

Hardware Content – Lighter and faster than LCD’s.  out of plastic and bendable. 
do not need lamps, polarizers, or diffusers. Takes less power to run (2 to 10 volts).
5DT Head Mounted Display

800x600 pixels
40o diagonal view
Organic LED
Frame sequential stereo
600 grams
$4k
Samsung Emagin z800 OLED HMD
Weight 8 oz
PC connection - USB, RGB input
SVGA resolution (800x600 pixels) stereo
Tracking - 360 degrees pan
60 degrees pitch
$1200 USD www.3dvisor.com
Sensics piSight panoramic OLED HMDs
 Sensics piSight panoramic HMDs
Uses Organic LED
A series of micro-displays with
special optics to generate a
panoramic view
Weight 2 lbs (1 Kg)
SVGA input
resolution (2400x1729 pixels)
Field of view 179 horizontal
by 58 vertical
Binocular overlap 82
Cost? USD
sensics.com
 Sensics xSight panoramic HMDs
Uses Organic LED
A series of micro-displays with
special optics to generate a
panoramic view
Weight 0.35 kg
DVI input
resolution (1680x1050 pixels)
Field of view 123 horizontal
by 58 vertical
Binocular overlap 123
Cost? USD
sensics.com
 Sensics wireless HMD

A wireless video link optimized HMDs

Low latency (<30 msec)
Support for HD1080p high definition video at
full 60Hz frame rates.
Ability to use multiple transmitter/receiver pairs
simultaneously to drive multiple independent HMDs
Available battery option for both HMD and wireless video
link.
Integrated stereo audio
High-quality H.264 MPEG-4 compression
Wi-Fi wireless N technology which does not require line of
sight and works over large distances
 Sensics wireless smart goggles
•On-board 1.2 GHz dual-core processor with
graphics and 3D co-processor running Android 4.0
•Allows execution of on-board applications without
requiring connection to a PC or a gaming console.
•First-person hand tracking provides real-time
tracking and location information of the user’s
hands.
•Hand position can be used to drive user interface,
identify gestures and interact with the game.
•Embedded head tracker for head angular position and
linear acceleration
•Dual SXGA (1280×1024) OLED displays.
•64 degree field of view for excellent immersion
•Embedded stereo audio and microphone
•Battery operated On-board WiFi and Bluetooth services.
Professional HMDs

Keiser ProView
AMLCD display,
Resolution: 1024x768
FOV: 28x21 degrees–
Weight: 992 grams
Virtual Binoculars
Floor-supported displays

Boom3C (courtesy of Fakespace Labs.)

 21” LCD display,
Resolution: SXGA
(1600x1200)
Weight: Counter-
Balanced;
No dead space but
High latencies due to
Third-party tracker

Virtual Window 3-D Display (courtesy of Virtual Research Co.)

Output Devices

Auto-stereoscopic displays

 Do not require use of special glasses;

 Passive auto-stereoscopic displays do not track

user’s head and thus restrict user’s position;

 Active auto-stereoscopic displays track the head

motion and give more freedom of motion.

Passive Auto-stereoscopic 3-D Display (Dimension Technologies Co.)
 18.1” LCD display,
Resolution:
1280x1024 (mono)
640 x 1024 (stereo)
Weight: 11.25 kg

Auto-stereoscopic 3-D Display(courtesy of Dimension Technologies Co.)

 40” LCD display,
Resolution:
1280x768 pixels
70o horizontal viewing
(7 to 15 feet)
Weight: 33.2 kg

SynthaGram 404 (courtesy of StereoGraphics Co. - $12,000)

 20” LCD display,
Resolution:
1600x1200 (mono)
100o horizontal viewing
(1.5 to 6 feet)
Weight: 8.4 kg

SynthaGram 204 (courtesy of StereoGraphics Co. - $3,000)

 18” LCD display,
Resolution:
1280x1024 (mono)
640 x 1024 (stereo)
Weight: 17 kg

Active auto-stereoscopic 3-D Display (courtesy of Dresden 3D Co.)

 Single-user Auto-stereoscopic display…
 The display redirects the appropriate frames to the right and left eye
so that each eye can only see the relevant frame.
 The tracker locates each eye and sends the information to the control
box.
 The control box then tells the LCD screen what pixels to display.
 Through the optics system in the screen, the image will get directed
through the TFT directly to the appropriate eye.
 A split second later it would do the same to the other eye.
 Hence, creating a 3D image.
Active tracking accommodates 25 degrees
change in view direction
 Multi-user Auto-stereoscopic display…
 Multiple users can be tracked simultaneously and more pixels
can be opened up at any given time allowing light beams to be
directed simultaneously to more than one eye and more than one 3D
user.
Position finders already track pupils of multiple viewers with very
small delay. Good resolution but still shows some flicker.
 OLED’s becoming mainstream can help eliminate flicker

What needs to be done?

Better displays (100Hz…120Hz)
Complete the multi-user concept
 http://www.dresden3d.com/en/autostereoscopy/papers/EI08%206803-
24%20Web.pdf
Sharp autostereoscopic laptop
 Pentium 4, 15” diagonal display, 1024x768 resolution, 2D and 3
D mode, uses parallax barrier.

http://www.inition.co.uk/inition/product_stereovis_sharp_actius_rd3d.php
Autostereoscopic cell phones!
Ocuity (UK) and NEC make 2.5” diameter autostereoscopic cell
phones. InTouch mobile handset (TTPCom)
2.1” Transflective 2D/3D TFT-LCD
132xRGBx176 pixel display
Automatic control of 2D to 3D switching function
Running TTPCom WGE 3D stereo game demonstration
 Holographic displays
• The image source is based on standard flat panel technology of
which the image is seen upon a nine optical layer glass panel.
Objects will appear to float in space.
•For the maximum 3D effect, the background seen through the
display should be several feet behind the display and dark in color.

http://www.eonreality.com/files/
brochures/eon_icrystal_hd.pdf
Holographic displays – EON TouchLight
• Bare-hand 3D interaction virtual reality display system
• VR scene can be zoomed, panned and rotated with both hands
• Uses image processing techniques to combine the output of two
video cameras placed behind a semi-transparent plane in front of
the user. Incorporates IR cameras and image processing board
http://www.eonreality.com/files/brochures/eon_touchlight_hd.pdf
Output Devices

Large Volume Displays

 Allow several co-located users to view a
monoscopic or stereoscopic view of the virtual
world;
 Can be classified as monitor-based large

volume displays or projector-based large

volume displays.
 Allow more freedom of motion vs. personal
displays.
Output Devices

Monitor-based Large Volume Displays

 Use active or passive glasses;
 Several users can look at a monitor;
 Can have a single monitor, or multiple side-by-
side monitors;
 If side-by-side, image continuity becomes an
issue.
 Untracked
and wireless

Tracked
and wireless

Active glasses
Output Devices
Active glasses vs. FMDs

Some advantages:
 no cables if head position is not tracked;
 light and ergonomic (can be used over vision glasses);
 work well with large volume displays.
 allows full screen resolution 1280x1024

Some disadvantages:
 lose 2/3 of image light intensity through LCD filtering;
 require special CRT “stereo ready” that has twice
the hardware refresh rate (Hz) 120 Hz or more;
 require direct line of sight for IR controller;
 different viewing metaphor “through the window”.
Wireless – old model Active glasses

Wireless – new model

Wired to the synchronizing

jack of the graphics card

I-O Display Systems Inc. $99 vs. $1000 for StereoGraphics

wireless glasses
Wired/wireless glasses need a “stereo enabler” when connected
to a VGA card without a 3-pin mini DIN output jack)
Passive glasses vs. active glasses
Passive glasses vs. active glasses
Passive glasses vs. active glasses
Passive glasses vs. active glasses
 Through the window metaphor

The projection factor is changes by a factor K which

such that

K = r (u – U) + U

Where: r is the responsiveness factor (optimally 1.25);

u is the current head distance from the screen;
U is the default distance (say 30 cm).

Unfortunately tracker jitter is amplified as well

Active glasses system
 Tiled monitors-based display

VC 3.1
on book CD

Resolution is 3840 x 1024 and dimensions are 1,11 x 0.29 m2

Non-synchronized tiled image discontinuity

Synchronized tiled image

Output Devices

Projector-based Large-Volume Displays

 Old technology is CRT-based

(analog) three projector tubes (R, G, B);
 Requires special “fast green” coating to avoid the

fogging due to fast switching (at 120 Hz);

 Suffer from low luminosity problems

(200-300 lumens)
Output Devices
Projector-based Large-Volume Displays

 Technology made transition from CRT-based

(analog) to Digital Micro-mirror Device (DMD)
(digital) projectors;
 Workbench-type displays (Fakespace Responsive

Workbench, Barco Baron, V-desk, etc.)

 Cave-type display (CAVE, RAVE)
 Wall-type displays
 Domes
Output Devices

Digital Micro-mirror Device

Display

Light intensities are much larger

than for CRT-based projectors
300 lumens to 1500 or more lumens
Thus ambient light does not
hinder image quality
Tilted surface
Viewing Cone

Reflector mirror

Floor CRT projector

(not shown)

The old Fakespace “ImmersaDesk” workbench

IR Controllers CRT Projector

Mirrors Tilting mechanism

Baron workbench (courtesy of BARCO Co.)

 Baron

Workbench-type display
geometries

V-desk
 CRT Projector
Screen

Mirror

CAVE 3-D large volume display (courtesy of Fakespace Co.)

CAVE 3-D large volume display (courtesy of Fakespace Co.)
RAVE (“Re-configurable Virtual Environment”)

 Modular construction that allows various viewing

configuration, from flat wall, to angled theater, to
CAVE;
 Vertical wall image 2.3 m X 2.4 m;
 Several CRT projectors (260 lumens, 1280x1024
resolution);
 Takes 30 minutes or less to reconfigure
 New types of stereo displays
 Such as BARCO Trace
 Driven by Barco Galaxy Stereo DLP projectors 3000 Lumens;
 800:1 contrast ratio
 WARP geometry distortion for edge matching;
 1400 x 1050 pixel resolution
 70 inch diagonal screen
 active stereo glasses
 CONTRAST RATIO
The ratio of the luminance of the
brightest color to that of the darkest.

David Barett
• Luminance – The amount of light that passes
through or is emitted from a particular area
and falls within a given solid angle (cd/m 2).
• Solid angle

black white
 Measurements

• No official standardized way.

• Dynamic contrast ratio is measured over
time. Static is at an instant.
• Vizio 100,000:1 while a movie theater is
500:1
• Static ratio is better if the brightness range
is wider at any given time
 Example
• Higher contrast ratio gives a clearer image.
Histogram shows spread in pixel brightness
 Microsoft SURFACE
 one large display (projector)
 five infrared cameras
tracks user’s finger contact with the surface
PC included in the enclosure
 40” diagonal Samsung SUR 40 new SURFACE
 1920 x 1080 resolution
Dual-core CPU, AMD HD6750M GPU
Viewing angle 178 degrees
PixelSense™ to sense fingers and objects touching the
screen. It sees and reacts to light – taking sixty pictures every
second in a way that is similar to a movie camera.
Multi-touch Technology

Cagdas Karatas
 Capacitive Sensor
* Two layers of electrodes. Electrodes
parallel in same layer and orthogonal
to to the other layer
* Capacitive sensors can be constructed
from copper or Indium tin oxide
(ITO).

* Methods for measuring capacitance

are Relaxation Oscillator(in figure),
Charge Time, Voltage Divider, Charge
Transfer, Sigma-Delta Modulation.
* Self capacitance, mutual capacitance
 Resistive
* Two ITO patterned plates separated by spacing dots.
The top layer has ITO columns and bottom layer has
ITO rows.

* 5V is applied to a is applied to a column, and voltage

is measured at every horizontal sensing line. In order to
prevent masking, inactive sensing lines are set to high
impedance

Multi touch Optical technologies

Images from www.touchuserinterface.com

 Optical Imaging : two optical sensors track the

movement of any object close to the surface by
detecting the interruption of an infra-red light source.
 Multi touch Optical technologies

Rear Diffused Illumination : Infrared light is shone
from the opposite side of the touch surface. Finger
interrupts the infrared light, reflects back to the
camera .

 Frustrated Total Internal Reflection (FTIR) : floods

the inside of a piece of acrylic with infrared light by
trapping the light rays within the acrylic.
 Kinect : Uses near infrared transmitter creates a
pattern of near-infrared dots.

 In-Cell : 2D grid of retro-reflective optosensors

which are placed behind an LCD panel.

http://www.articlesbase.com/electronics-articles/technologies-of-multitouch-part-3-optical-technologies-
5485162.html
Output Devices

Wall-type displays

 Accommodate more users

 Using a single projector on a large wall means small
image resolution;
 Thus tiled displays place smaller images side-by-side
so they need multiple projectors;
 Images need to have overlap, to assure continuity;
 However overlap from two projectors means intensity
discontinuity (brighter images in the overlap areas)
 Projectors need to modulate intensities to dim their
light for overlap pixels.
Pano-Wall display
Three projectors;
Approx. 7 x 2 m2
PanoWall display
Output Devices
Tiled composite image from
four projectors
Tiled composite image from four
projectors after adjustment
 Wall and Dome-type displays
Advantages:
 Accommodate more users (tens to hundreds)
 Give users more freedom of motion;

Disadvantages:
 Large cost (up to millions of dollars);
 Even with multiple projectors, resolution is much
lower than for CRTs (because the area is large).
 Example PanoWall has 200,000 pixels/m2 while a
monitor has 18,200,000 pixels/m2
 To have equal numbers of pixels/unit are – more
projectors (military)
Output Devices
3-D Audio Displays

Definition:

Sound displays are computer interfaces

that provide synthetic sound feedback to
the user interacting with the virtual world.
The sound can be monoaural (both ears
hear the same sound) or binaural (each
ear hears a different sound).
Output Devices

3-D Audio Displays

 3-D audio should not be

confused with stereo sound;
 Human hearing model;
 HRTF-based 3-D sound;
 Convolvotron;
 3-D sound cards.
 Stereo vs.
3-D sound

….
Output Devices

Human Hearing Model

 Polar coordinate system – azimuth,

elevation, distance (range);
 azimuth cues;
 elevation cues;
 Effect of pinna (outer ear);
 HRTFs
Output Devices

Head Related Transfer Function (HRTF)

Output Devices
3-D Sound
Effect of pinna filtering of
sound (elevation and azimuth
cues)
Output Devices

NASA again a pioneer in 3-D sound

 put microphones in dummy heads;

 played localized sound and measured
signal;
 Determined the HRTF;
 Worked on first circuitry;
3D sound
localization
The Convolvotron PC
3-D sound boards

….
The Huron
…. workstation
Output Devices
5.1 3-D Audio Displays
….
Cross-talk effect
 Sound from one speaker reaches both ears:

[ ] [ ][ ]
Yleft
Yright
=
Hl,l Hl,r
Hr,l Hr,r
Sleft
Sright

where Hl,l is the HRTF between the left speaker and the left ear,
Hl,r is the HRTF between the right speaker and the left ear,
Yleft is the sound reaching the left ear
Yright is the sound reaching the right ear
Cross-talk effect cancellation
 Sound from both speakers is adjusted such that:

[ ] [ ][ ]
-1
Sleft Hl,l Hl,r Yleft
=
Sright Hr,l Hr,r Yright

where Yleft and Yright are known (the output if the convolving
process)
 Commercial 3D Sound Cards

What they have to offer:

Digital Output

Multi-speaker compatibility
(7.1 channel format allows for 8 speakers)

Positional Audio
offers 3D dimensions of sound
 USB 3D Sound Adapter

•Supports 3-dimensional sound

•Virtual 5.1 sound effects
•USB powered, no external power required
•Digital Class-B power amplifier
•27 Environment sound effects
•10 Band / Pre-set equalizer
•$30
Sabrent 7.1 PCI Sound Card
Internal connectors
8-channels of audio,
a PCI interface,
3D sound and great quality
$14

PCI Bus connector

Audio ports

HRTF-base 3D positional audio, supporting

DirectSound 3D, EAX and A3D interface.
MIDI Game port Support multi-speaker output to
2/2.1/4.1/5.1/7.1 speakers. Support Karaoke
key, Echo sound effects.
Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 4 Pro
Aureal 3D (A3D)
•Two Versions
•1.0 was very similar to DS3D plain Microsoft
DirectX component for positional audio
•2.0 could more accurately simulate how sound
sources in a complex environment behave
•An extension of DS3D (by itself,
its just reverb)
•PC environmental reverb
standard created by Creative Lab
•All sound cards can have EAX
capability
•$150
Multi-Environments™
Supports rendering of multiple simultaneous audio environments in real-
time, enabling the creation of exceptionally realistic acoustic
environments in games containing multiple locations/rooms where
differences in size, texture and/or shape are present.

Environment Panning™
Makes spatializing and localizing environments in 3D possible,
providing new 3D gaming effects.

Environment Reflections™
Offers localization of early reflections and echoes, bringing more detail
and realism to 3D gaming.
Environment Filtering™
Accurately simulates sound propagation in open and closed
environments.
Environment Morphing™
Allows for seamless transition of audio from one environment to the
next.
Extreme Effects
New EAX effects rendered by an extended reverberation algorithm
that surpasses the complexity of many studio-based reverb
processors.
Enhanced 3D Audio Performance
* Enhanced 3D audio performance through the correction of every
positional delay and elimination of undesired audio artifacts (comb
filtering)
* Increased positional accuracy, especially elevation (vertical
plane) that results in smoother movements and rotations.
* HRTF filters and cross-talk cancellation algorithms for
headphones, 2-speaker, 4-speaker, 5.1-speaker, 6.1-speaker and 7.1-
speaker
Effects of 3D Sound Cards on graphics output
Output Devices

Haptic Interfaces

Haptics…

 Comes from Greek Hapthai meaning the

sense of touch;
 Groups touch feedback and force feedback
Output Devices

Touch Feedback

 Relies on sensors in and close to the skin;

 Conveys information on contact surface

geometry, roughness, slippage, temperature;

 Does not actively resist user contact motion;
 Easier to implement than force feedback.
Output Devices

Force Feedback

 Relies on sensors on muscle tendons and

bones/joints proprioception;
 Conveys information on contact surface

compliance, object weight, inertia;

 Actively resist user contact motion;
 More difficult to implement than touch feedback

(no commercial products until mid 90s).

Haptic Interfaces
Human touch sensing mechanism
 Most touch sensors are on the hand (much less

density on other parts of the body);

 Four primary types of sensors:
40 % are Meissner’s corpuscles – detect movement
across the skin – velocity detectors
25% are Merkel’s disks – measure pressure and vibrations
13 % are Pacinian corpuscles – deeper in skin (dermis) –
acceleration sensors. Most sensitive to vibrations of about 250 Hz
19% are Rufini corpuscles – detect skin shear and temperature
changes
Haptic Interfaces

Skin touch sensors

Haptic Interfaces
Sensorial adaptation
 Measure the decrease in electrical signals from

the skin sensor over time, for a constant stimulus;

 If the sensor produces a constant electrical

discharge for a constant mechanical stimulus –

It is called “Slow Adapting” (SA);
 If the rate of electrical discharge drops rapidly

over time for a constant stimulus – called

“Rapidly Adapting” (RA)
Haptic Interfaces
Spatial resolution
 Measure the receptive field size of a sensor;
 If the sensor has a large receptive field – it

has low spatial resolution (Pacinian and Ruffini)

SA-II, RA-II
 If the receptive field is small – has high

spatial resolution (Meissner and Merkel) SA-I,

RA-I
Haptic Interfaces

Two-point limen test: 2.5 mm fingertip, 11 mm for palm, 67 mm

for thigh
Haptic Interfaces
Haptic Interfaces

Human grasping configurations

Haptic Interfaces
Maximum and sustained force exertion
 Maximum force exerted during “power” grasp

Averages 400 N (male) and 225 N (female);

 Looking at body location, force output
Grows from 50 N at PIP finger joint, to 100 N

at shoulder;
 Sustained force feedback is much smaller than

maximum, owing to fatigue and pain

Haptic Interfaces

Fatigue measured as a function of % Maximum

Voluntary Contraction (MVC) and rest cycle
Haptic Interfaces
Haptic feedback actuators
 Need to maximize power/weight ratio;
 Need to have high power/volume ratio;
 Need to have high bandwidth;
 Need to have high dynamic range
(fidelity);
 Need to be safe for the user

- None of the current actuator technology

satisfies all these requirements
Haptic Interfaces

Actuator comparison based on P/W ratio

Output Devices

Touch Feedback Interfaces…

 Can be desk-top or wearable (gloves);

 touch feedback mouse;
 CyberTouch glove;
 Temperature feedback actuators;
Haptic Interfaces

The iFeel Mouse (0-125 Hz).

Haptic Interfaces

6 individually
Controlled
Vibrotactile
actuators

0-125 Hz frequency
1.2 N amplitude at
125 Hz

CyberTouch Glove (Virtex)

Output Devices

VC 3.3 on book CD
Output Devices

Temperature feedback

 Added simulation realism by simulating

surface thermal “feel”;
 No moving parts;
 Uses thermoelectric pumps made of solid-state

materials sandwiched between “heat source” and

“heat sink”;
 Single pump can produce 65°C differentials;
Temperature feedback actuator
User comfort zone
13-46°C

If system fails
Heat travels back
Through the pump
and can burn
skin

Temperature feedback actuator control

Output Devices

Force Feedback Interfaces…

 Need mechanical grounding to resist user

motion;
 Can be grounded on desk, wall, or on user body;
 More difficult to construct and more expensive

Than tactile feedback interfaces

Haptic Interfaces
The PHANToM used for 3D “sculpting”
(courtesy of SensAble Technology Co.)
PHANToM Omni
PHANToM Comparison
NOVINT FALCON
3 DOF Force Feedback
• 3 DOF (right-left,
forward/backward, up/down) 75 75 
75 mm
• rumble, vibrations
•3D exploration and textures
• Dynamic effects (inertia, weight,
momentum)
• Cost less than $300
• Resolution >0.06 mm
• Max continuous force 10 N
• Stiffness 5 N/mm
• Connectivity USB 2.0
• 1 kHz control bandwidth
•http://home.novint.com/
 The Haptic Master

3 DOF cylindrical robot

Max force output 250 N
Stiffness 50 N/mm
Uses force-in, position-out
arrangement
 Exoskeleton
over CyberGlove)

Cables and pulleys

16 N/finger (continuous?); Weight 539 grams;

remote electrical actuators in a control box.
The CyberGrasp force feedback glove
 The CyberGrasp force feedback glove

VC 3.4 on book CD
 CyberGrasp glove

Electronic
interface box

Tether

Wrist Tracker

The CyberPack (courtesy of Virtex Co.)

6 DOF mechanical arm
Wrist position and
Force feedback –
No need for a tracker

Allows simulation of weight and inertia, not possible with

glove-only interfaces CyberForce interface (introduced recently)
Haptic Interfaces

VC 3.5 on book
CyberForce interface CD
 Olfactory Feedback
Olfactory feedback refers to the inclusion of the sense of
smell as an output in a virtual world or simulation.

Aroma therapy has proven to be an effective form of

treatment for rehabilitation and treatment.

The notion of “olfactory-evoked recall” can be vital to

immersion in a VR world. “Smell has the greatest impact
on human emotions.” (Enviroscent)
 Challenges in Smell Technologies
No “primary smells” unlike colors, makes smell synthesis
difficult.

Consumable.

More difficult to modulate and control compared to sound

and light.

Size.
 Applications of Olfactory Stimuli
Used by Dr. Albert Rizzo at USC for treatment of
PTSD patients.

USAF researched FiVe FiRe training system for fire fighters which
includes multiple odors for burning objects.

Entertainment purposes; the original

Smell-o-Vision was used in theaters to
add additional movie going enjoyment.
 Technologies for Olfactory Stimuli
Enviroscent has a line of smell machines such
as the ES-1 Fragrance Machine.

Scents in Metagel dispersion cartridges

-8 different scents gunpowder, diesel, burning
rubber, body odor, etc.)
- through which compressed air is pumped to
carry the smell temporarily into the users
simulation space.
- researchers think PTSD that this adds to the
sense of presence. Since the olfactory bulb is
closely linked to areas of the limbic system
implicated to be involved with memory and
emotion
 Smell as Input
Smell is actually a relatively common input source with
applications in medicine, security, and more.

Can be used to detect pollutants, identify diseases,

or even used to identify an individual.

Typically designed as an array of chemical sensors.

Projection-based olfactory display
Projection-based olfactory display
Projection-based olfactory display
VR for Addict Rehabilitation
Virtually Better, a company focused on VR
rehabilitation techniques, in cooperation with
addiction researcher Dr. Bordnick of the
University of Houston, have created VR
Simulations of addict tempting environments.

Video Courtesy ScienCentral, Inc.

 Further Reading and Resources
Albert Rizzo article

Smell Cannon

UoW Document on Olfaction for VR

Sony/Matsushita Smellovision

Using VR with Olfaction for Addiction Rehabilitation

Robot Nose