Application of Surface Display into Shape Forming Task.

Abstract

The sensation of touch and force is generated or conducted through the phenomenon of contact. This fact make us aware of a new force feedback method, which was named the concept of Surface Display. In this concept, we are remarking not on the force between the user and the object but on the surface and existence of the object. The force feedback device based on this concept presents the surface of an object, the user interact with the surface. Force is caused only as a result and it is measured by the device for the simulation of the behavior of the object. In this paper, the application of this device into a shape forming task is discussed. We have developed a kind of the virtual clay modeling environment, in which the shape of the surface can be changed by pushing directly on the surface. Sensation of making contact with the surface and the sensation of force caused by the elasticity of the clay is fedback by using the device. From an experiment in the environment, the importance and effectiveness of force feedback was made clear.