Virtual cooperating manipulator control for haptic interaction with NURBS surfaces

Abstract

Virtual manipulators are a new concept in the area of force feedback for virtual reality. This control approach does not make use of any specialized haptic display hardware but instead is formulated for implementation with any general industrial robot that allows six degree of freedom motion. Using this approach many commonly available manipulators can be used as an interface device to a virtual environment. This work extends the virtual manipulator concept, to allow haptic interaction with more complex virtual objects. The time varying virtual manipulator developed here constrains the end effector of a robot to trace along a NURBS surface. This virtual mechanism provides interaction forces consistent with the sensation of contacting the surface. These interaction forces can be coupled with a graphical display to provide a more complete feeling of immersion.