William A. McNeely

Boeing (United States), Behavioral Tech Research, Inc.

Papers

Total Citations

256

H-Index

About

William A. McNeely is a pioneering researcher in the field of haptics and virtual reality, best known for his groundbreaking work on "robotic graphics"—a novel approach to force feedback that uses external robotic manipulators rather than wearable devices. His most influential paper, "Robotic Graphics: A New Approach to Force Feedback for Virtual Reality" (2002), has garnered 186 citations and introduced a paradigm shift for providing kinesthetic feedback in CAD/CAM and simulation environments. McNeely further advanced this concept by demonstrating how industrial robotics equipment could dynamically simulate virtual mechanisms with realistic haptic feedback, as detailed in his 2002 work (46 citations). His earlier implementation of a virtual control panel (1997, 24 citations) proved the practical viability of robotic graphics for interactive tasks like operating switches. By decoupling force feedback from body-worn hardware, McNeely’s contributions have influenced the design of safer, more intuitive virtual prototyping tools and training simulators. His work remains foundational for researchers exploring human-robot interaction and immersive virtual environments.