A Framework for Visual and Haptic Collaboration in Shared Virtual Spaces

Abstract

AbstractWe propose a framework for visual and haptic collaboration in X3D/VRML shared virtual spaces. In this collaborative framework, two pipelines—visual and haptic—complement each other to provide a simple and efficient solution to problem requiring collaboration in shared virtual spaces on the web. We consider shared objects defined as virtual object with their visual and physical properties rendered synchronously on each client computer. We introduce virtual tools which are shared objects associated with interactive and haptic devices. We implemented the proposed ideas as a server-client framework with a dedicated viewer. We discuss two implementation frameworks based on the strong and thin server concepts.KeywordsVirtual ObjectHaptic DeviceVirtual SpaceHaptic RenderingShared EventThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.