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INTRODUCTION
PHANToM, means Personal HAptic iNTerface Mechanism, was developed at MIT as a
relatively low cost force feedback device for interacting with virtual objects.
Phantom device is a robot arm that is attached to a computer and used as a pointer
in three dimensions, like a mouse is used as a pointer in two dimensions.
ABOUT
PHANTOM The PHANToM
interface's novelty lies in its small size, relatively low cost and its simplification
of tactile information. Rather than displaying information from many different
points, this haptic device provides high-fidelity feedback to simulate touching
at a single point. It just like closing your eyes, holding a pen and touching
everything in your office. You could actually tell a lot about those objects from
that single point of contact. You'd recognize your computer keyboard, the monitor,
the telephone, desktop and so on.
A Phantom device and the Phantom Force Feedback extension can also be used to
trace paths and/or move models in the absence of volume data. Although there will
not be force feedback in such cases, the increased degrees of freedom provided
by the device as compared to a mouse can be very helpful. The Phantom Force Feedback
extension of Chimera allows a Phantom device to be used to guide marker placement
within volume data. It is generally used together with Volume Viewer and Volume
Path Tracer. SensAble Technologies manufactures several models of the Phantom.
The device is only supported on SGI and Windows platforms. SensAble Technologies
has announced that in summer of 2002 it will add support for Linux and drop support
for SGI. The least expensive model (about $10,000 in 2001), the Phantom Desktop,
is described here. To
integrate the PHANToM with a projection screen virtual environment several obstacles
need to be overcome. First, the PHANToM is essentially a desktop device. To use
it in a larger environment the PHANToM must be made mobile and height adjustable
to accommodate the user. For
this we use Phantom
Stand
The phantom stand was designed to permit positioning, height adjustment, and stable
support of the PHANToM in the virtual environment. To avoid interference with
the magnetic tracking system used in the environment, the phantom stand was constructed
out of bonded PVC plastic and stainless steel hardware.
KEY BENEFITS o
High fidelity, 3D haptic feedback
o The ability to operate in an office/desktop
environment
o Compatibility with standard PCs and UNIX workstations
o
A universal design for a broad range of applications
o Low cost device
o
Used to trace paths
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