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. The PHANToM interface's novelty lies in its small size, information. The device has enabled users to interact with hand feel a wide variety of virtual objects and will be used for control of remote manipulators .Rather than displaying information from many different points, this haptic device provides high-fidelity feedback to simulate touching at a single point. It just likes 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. Most phantom haptic interfaces use three degrees of freedom, which makes the force-feedback system more precise giving it advantages over other haptic devices. Collision detection is an important issue for the interaction between medical the thimble and for stylus training and the

object. Applications include

simulation

in surgical

procedures and three-dimensional (3D) painter 3D clay modeling for designers.The PHANTOM is a convenient desktop device which allows users to reach beyond the Looking Glass of exixting computer monitors, and actually touch virtual objects represented within the computer. Users connect to the mechanism by simply inserting their finger into a thimble. 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. It just likes closing your eyes, holding a pen and touching everything in your office. The device has enabled users to interact with and feel a wide variety of virtual objects and will be used for control of remote manipulators. New users of the high technology hepatic interfaces are very surprised and intrigued with the reality of their experiences. A blind user was fooled when he was able to touch a virtual object. He examined the virtual objects surface with his finger and was not surprised at all until he was reminded that there was no physical object present. This startled him because he jumped and started reaching out for the nonexistent object with his other hand. Another example that shows the reality of the experience is the demonstration of a medical procedure. A needle biopsy is a procedure in which a doctor inserts a long needle into the brain. When this procedure has been demonstrated using a hepatic device, many doctors reactions are that the needle seems a bit dull. This means the doctors are more concerned with the procedure than they are concerned that it is only a simulation. The reality of the simulation is also shown when there is a sudden removal of a certain hepatic device simulation. It is explained as being similar to when a person who is going to sit down is unaware that the chair has been pulled out. Hepatic interactions give the user the illusion that they are dealing with real, physical objects. Interactions to this extent of reality in this new field are motivation for this topic.

what is PHANTOM:

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 likes 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, and 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. Sensible Technologies manufactures several models of the Phantom. The device is only supported on SGI and Windows platforms. Sensible 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. 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.

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.

The Phantom Hepatic Interface is an innovative technique : developed by Haptics Group of MIT's ARTIFICIAL LAB. This device imparts realistic feel to an imaginary object,allowing people to touch and feel it. The Phantom exerts a robust external force on the user's fingertips ,creating an illusion of interaction with "solid" but still virtual object.smooth spheres,flat walls,sharp corners,even texture can be felt!...you just have to insert your fingertip inside the Phantom Socket to start feeling the virtaul objects.PHI's technology makes it superior to buzzing tactile simulator.the device has low insertia,low friction and unbalanced weight,so movements through free virtual space are unimpeeded and smooth.

The Haptics lab of MIT,more famously known as touch lab,is also pioneering work on human touch perception.it is conducting vast research on neurology,pschophysics,motor control and computational

models to understand human Haptics better to make this technology more effective.

TECHNOLOGY The PHANTOM is a convenient desktop device which provides a force-reflecting interface between a human user and a computer. Users connect to the mechanism by simply inserting their index finger into a thimble. The PHANTOM tracks the motion of the users finger tip and can actively exert an external force on the finger, creating compelling illusions of interaction with solid physical objects. A stylus can be substituted for the thimble and users can feel the tip of the stylus touch virtual surfaces. The phantom allows the user to interact with a variety of virtual objects. The device exerts an external force on the computer user with force feedback that gives the illusion of interaction with solid physical objects. Figure1 one shows a typical phantom device.The phantom is an electromechanical desktop device that connects to the computers input/output port. The user inserts a finger into a thimble or holds a stylus supported by a mechanical arm. The thimble or stylus will then track the motions and position of the users Finger tip while applying forces on the user.

The phantom system is controlled by three direct current (DC) motors that have sensors and encoders attached to them. The number of motors corresponds to the number of degrees of freedom a particular phantom system has, although most systems produced have 3 motors. The encoders track the users motion or position along the x, y and z coordinates and the motors track the forces exerted on the user along the x, y and z axis. From the motors there is a cable that connects to an aluminum linkage

which connects to passive gimbals which attaches to the thimble or stylus. Gimbal is a device that permits a body freedom of motion in any direction or suspends it so that it will remain level at all times. As explained later in the paper, because the three degrees of freedom meet at one contact point, no torque is measured, only force applied to the point. Friction and inertia must be constant to limit distractions of the user. Also, the haptic system must be able to analyze and sense the forces applied by the user and then deliver the sensation back in real time. The phantom was designed under a few important considerations, first among them being: In the physical world we impose forces on ourselves whenever we touch anything. These forces and the position and motion of our hand and arms are transmitted to the brain as kinesthetic information. This information along with cutaneous (touch) senses, force and motor capabilities are what allow us to touch and manipulate objects and relate them to the space around us. The phantom haptics system must also be able to interpret force and motion information. It must be able to determine how objects move when forces are applied and also determine the geometry of the object (texture and friction of the surface of the object). Events tracking the change in position or motion of the probe, collision detection between the object and another object or the probe, explained later in the paper, are all important. The Phantom was designed with three degrees of freedom because very little torque (twisting-rotating) is involved with either the thimble or the stylus. Degrees of freedom are the directions the user can move in. For a user to touch all sides of a virtual 3-dimensional object the haptics system needs 3 degrees of freedom. Another 3 degrees of freedom are needed if a user wants to rotate the object freely. Because the first Phantom haptic interface that was created uses only 3 degrees of freedom, it allows the system to model those 3 degrees of freedom as a point contact in the virtual environment. This simplifies programming because with a point contact there is little torque, therefore it is less complex. These

considerations were combined into three main criteria to attain a balanced, effective system.

HAPTIC TECHNOLOGY by Weicheng Hwang With the technology advances in the past few years, computer technology is making its way to the general public at an affordable price.Such as a faster CPU, a larger hard drive, better graphic card, better multimedia system, and better computer tools.One of these computer technologies that are finding its way to the home and business PC market is the haptic technology.Haptics is "one of the growing areas in human computer interaction or new types of sensory interaction with computers besides keyboards and mice". A haptic technology is a force or tactile feedback technology, which allows a user to touch, feel, manipulate, create, and/or alter simulated three-dimensional objects in a virtual environment. Such an interface could be used to train physical skills such as those jobs requiring specialized hand-held tools, for instance, surgeons, astronauts, and mechanics.Or to enable modeling of three dimensional objects without a physical medium such as automobile body designers working with clay models, to mock-up developmental prototypes directly from CAD databases rather than in a machine shop using virtual reality modeling language in conjunction with haptic technology.In addition, haptic help doctors to locate any change in temperature, or tumor in certain part of body without physically being there.

Technology The PHANToM Haptic Device

At the simplest level, the PHANToM device's design allows the user to interact with the computer by inserting his or her finger into a thimble. For more sophisticated applications, multiple fingers may be used simultaneously or other devices such as a stylus or tool handle may be substituted for the thimble.

The PHANToM haptic interface represents a revolution in human computer interface technology. Before the PHANToM, computer users only had the capability to interact with the machine through the sense of sight, and more recently, sound. The sense of touch, the most important sense in many tasks, has been conspicuously absent. The PHANToM device changes all of this. Just as the monitor enables users to see computer generated images, and audio speakers allow

them to hear synthesized sounds, the PHANToM device makes it possible for users to touch and manipulate virtual objects. There are three models of the PHANToM haptic interface, providing a range of workspaces.

What makes the PHANToM haptic interface so unique?Research on touch, or haptic, computer interfaces, has been active for decades. The PHANToM, based on work done at MIT, represents a breakthrough in this research. The PHANToM is unique in that it offers realistic 3-D Touch, the ability to feel the physical properties of virtual 3-D objects, with much higher fidelity and much lower cost than previous force feedback devices. The devices patented and elegant design allows:High fidelity of 3-D haptic feedback

Ability to operate in an office/desktop environment Compatibility with standard PCs and UNIX workstations Universal design for a broad range of applications

The PHANToM haptic interface is distinguished from other touch interfaces by what it isnt. The PHANToM is not:

A bulky exoskeletal device A buzzing tactile stimulator A vibrating joystick

The PHANToM device provides a vivid haptic experience that reproduces human touch with real world clarity, earning it wide recognition and numerous awards.

Literature Review The paper will explore the background and examination of haptic, experiences of other universities in developing haptic, advantage and shortcoming of haptic, possibilities for the future, and commercial applications of haptic. The sources of data were gathered from the Internet and ProQuest online database.Information is mainly the published research of universities that have worked with or researching on haptic technology. Background and Examination of Haptic According to Salisbury, haptics is "the newest technology to arrive in the world of computer interface devices."After many years of over-emphasis on the visual elements of computing, for example, in PCs and videogame consoles, the other senses are beginning to become important. As processor speed and memory size increases dramatically in PCs especially, the "gap between capability and usability".Haptic technologies are making an appearance in high-end workstations for computer-aided design (CAD) as well as at the lower end, on home PCs and consoles, to increase the human-computer interface. This means adding a "new mechanical channel," or a further strand, to human-computer communication so that data can be accessed and literally manipulated not just through visual means.For example if the keyboard is a passive

mechanical channel between the computer and user, haptics then enables a more active exploration, is programmable according to the type of data or object to be manipulated, and allows the user not just to see three dimensional shapes on the screen visually but also to feel them and mould them through the haptic interface. The term "haptics" refers to sensing and manipulation through the sense of touch. Although the word haptics may be new to many users, chances are that they are already using haptic interfaces (for example, keyboard and mouse).The haptic sensory system is usually regarded as having two components: tactile sensing, and kinesthetic sensing. Tactile sensing refers to an awareness of stimulation to the outer surface of the body (the softness of a blanket). Kinesthetic sensing refers to an awareness of limb position and movement (for example, an ability to touch your nose with your eyes closed), as well as muscle tension (for example, estimation of object weights) (Buffs, 1986).Unlike vision and audition that are mainly input systems for the human observer, the haptic system is bi-directional. Many activities, such as the reading of Braille text by the blind, require the use of both the sensing and manipulation aspects of the haptic system. Of the five major human visions, audition, touch, smell, and taste, only the first three have been engaged in most human-machine interface research. Of these three, a disproportional majority of work has been conducted on visual and auditory systems. Historically, work on haptic display has been motivated by the desire to develop sensory-substitution systems for the visually or hearing impaired. Examples include the Optacon (Telesensory Corp., Mountain View, Calif.,), a reading aid for the blind; and TactaidVII (Audiological Engineering Corp., Somerville, Mass.,), a hearing aid for the deaf.

The human haptic system is made up of two sub-systems, the motor subsystem and the sensory sub-system. There is a strong link between the two systems. Unlike the visual system, it is not only important what the sensory system detects, but what motions were used to gain that information.Humans use two different forms of haptic exploration: active and passive. Active haptic exploration is when the user controls his actions. Passive haptic exploration is when another person guides the hand or finger of the user (Brewster 2000). When the users are in control they often makes mistakes. In the case of two-dimensional exploration, the most common mistake is that of wandering off of a contour and the user must spend a large amount of effort to stay on the contour. However, when the subject is being guided, users entire attention can be devoted to identifying the object represented.Many features can be identified more readily with passive haptic exploration (Young, 1999). Experiments comparing the accuracy of active versus passive tactile stimulations show that passive haptics are more accurate at identifying features as a whole. When a subject's finger was guided around a two-dimensional object, such as the profile of a swan, they were more likely to be able identify the object. Some studies point out that active observers make more distracting 'errors', and may have difficulty differentiating between the erroneous paths and the correct paths of exploration.When faced with a multi-dimensional task, such as moving an object in three-dimensional space. Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have shown that users usually break the task into a series of one or two-dimensional problems. They would move an object in the x-y plane before moving it into its final position by moving in the z direction (Salisbury Jr., 1999). This dimensional decomposition could be due to the particular experiment, or it could hold a clue as to how people

think about multi-dimensional tasks.Another important factor in virtual reality systems is the situation when a visual cue and a haptic cue are in contradiction. The visual cue typically over-powers the haptic cue. This fact could help solve `the stiff wall problem', which is as follows. It is very difficult to create a machine that will correctly simulate the meeting of a virtual object with a hard immovable object. If the user is presented with a visual cue that the virtual effector has reached a hard surface, even though the haptic interface does not give the force of a hard, stiff surface, but rather a linear Hooke's law approximation, the user can be fooled into thinking the virtual wall is rigid. Humans are very adept in determining if a force is real or simulated. In an experiment conducted by Edin, a device was used to determine how humans reacted when they sensed that an object they were holding began to slip. The device consisted of a solenoid attached to a metal plate that was allowed to slide when the solenoid was turned off. None of the subjects were 'tricked' into believing that the object was actually slipping. They all noted that something was wrong with the object', but none commented that the object behaved as if it were slippery.Studies show that there is a strong link between the sensations felt by a human hand, such as an object slipping, and the motions the hand was going through to acquire that knowledge, such as holding an experimental apparatus (Durlach, 1994) Experiences of other Universities in Developing Haptic Technology

Ever since the haptic interface been introduced to the computer science community.Many universities have begun studies on haptic technology to develop devices that help users at home, business, and science environment.The

information will be based on the research done at MIT, Purdue University, and University of Colorado.

MIT Haptics evolution is examined, focusing primarily on developments derived from research at MIT in the early 1990s.During the spring of 1993, MITs work on haptic has introduced a new haptic interface that came to be called PHANTOM.This quickly commercialized due to strong interest from many colleagues and technically progressive corporations.Right now there are more than hundreds of PHANTOM haptic interfaces worldwide, this could represent an emerging market for haptic interface device.The PHANTOM interface is an electromechanical device small enough to sit on the surface of a desk and connects

to a computers input/output port.. Fig 1. Phantom haptic interface device

The Phantom is a computer peripheral most closely related to the mouse. Its function is to interact with objects in a three dimensional environment. It has a mechanical arm supporting a pen or thimble interface at its tip, through which it can exert forces on users while tracking their motions (see fig. 1).PHANTOM applies forces on users in ways that give them the illusion of touching something.It may be as simple as feeling a wall or as complex as simulating the physical sensation of a surgical procedure.The force to create such physical illusions requires three main components: a model of object geometry and material properties; a haptic interface that can track users motion and impose forces on them; and a rendering algorithm that generates forces in response to user movement. Purdue At the same time, Purdue is currently working on a haptic perceptive UI call sensing chair. Originally conceived at the MIT Media Lab, the sensing chair project is aimed toward a real time system that tracks the sitting posture of a user through the use of surface mounted contact sensors. The realization of a robust tracking system will lead to many exciting applications such as automatic control of airbag deployment forces, ergonomics of furniture design, and biometric authentication for computer security. University of Colorado A high fidelity haptic interface test bed has been developed over the last five years at the University of Colorado at Boulder to enable scientific studies of the limits of interface technology and human sensory perception. The user grasps a stylist, pencil type, grip, which is connected to actuator/sensor modules by hollow steel

rods. Optical encoders via linear rod motion sense motion of the users hand. Axial forces are transmitted by the rods from motors in each actuator module to one of the two tips of the stylist grip. This is the device that is being developed at University of Colorado at Boulder, although this device is very similar to the MIT developed PHANTOM it has its distinct difference from PHANTOM in some more specific detail. Advantages and Disadvantages Even the best technology has its advantages and disadvantages sometimes.This is also true for haptic, for example, a shortcoming of haptic is the technological challenge associated with the device at the home or business environment.At the same time, haptic also has its advantages, for example, helping sensory impaired user to receive information otherwise only available to the impaired sense. Advantages Ivan Sutherland, a founding father of virtual reality, suggested that the human kinesthetic sense is as yet another independent channel to the brain, a channel whose information is assimilated quite subconsciously This and other statements led researchers to develop haptic interfaces. By adding an independent input channel, the amount of information that is processed by the brain is increased. The increase in information reduces the error and time taken to complete a task. It also reduces the energy consumption and the magnitudes of contact forces used in a tele-operation situation.Humans use their hands in exploring environments that have poor or no visibility. For instance, divers in murky water use their haptic senses in substitution for their visual senses with little loss in performance. Humans are very good at

identifying three-dimensional objects placed in their hands, but are not as able to identify two-dimensional objects. Although not as adept at searching across a twodimensional space, humans have particular ways of exploring such spaces. In twodimensional exploration, such as exploring raised surfaces on a plane, humans use a set of exploratory procedures as observed by Lederman, Klatzky and Balakrishnan. Their research describes how humans gather information about a two-dimensional surface. This usually happens by first identifying an edge and then following a contour. Haptic displays alone are nearly useless, but when they are used in conjunction with a visual display, they can become more useful than a stereoscopic display or a display with multiple viewpoints. Batter and Brooks did an experiment to prove that the haptic interfaces actually affected how well a user could learn from the system. They tested several sections of a physics class that were learning electrostatic fields. The experimental part of the class was allowed to use a force feedback device in a laboratory exercise, and the control group was not. The experimental group did better than the control groups because of their access to a haptic display in their lab work. Disadvantage Despite the progress made in the past two decades, haptic interfaces have not yet become commonplace.One main reason is the technological challenge associated with the design and production of interfaces that make physical contact with human users.Although there is hardware such as PHANTOM out in the commercial market, it is still very expensive for the home users or business users to purchase the PHANTOM device. At the same time the software compatibility is also another issue why haptic is still not very common yet.

Possibilities for the Future or further scope Haptic interfaces will continue to be centered on the hands because people gather information from their surroundings in a haptic manner with their hands more than any other body part. The search for an inexpensive, portable and useful haptic display will be long and difficult, but it will continue for many years to come. Many researchers look for a 'natural' interface, but since there is a physical barrier between the human sensory-motor capabilities and the electronic world of the computer, there will not be a natural system until they can use direct neural stimulation of the brain. Instead, some suggest the search should be for an intuitive system. Robert Stone emphasized this point by stating:

An intuitive interface between man and machine is one which requires little training and proffers a working style most like that used by the human being to interact with environments and objects in his day-to-day life. In other words, the human interacts with elements of his task by looking, holding, manipulating, speaking, listening, and moving, using as many of his natural skills as are appropriate, or can reasonably be expected to be applied to a task. (Stone, 1995) When creating a haptic interface, it is important to keep in mind what the device is going to be used for. If it is not going to be used in a way that is intuitive to an operator, it may cause problems even though the user is trained in its use. In times of stress, excitement, or fatigue, people forget much of their training and do what comes intuitively. So if a haptic interface is not being used in an intuitive

manner, the operator may misuse the interface by doing something that is natural to them. The study of haptics holds a key to unlocking interface problems with the computer. Haptics enable a fairly intuitive way for the human user to get information into the computer, and for the computer to display information from a virtual world. Research in this area can help enable those who have been unable to use a computer to its fullest extent overcome a physical limitation, and it can enable users to explore objects and places that have been inaccessible under normal circumstances. Commercial Applications More recently, there has been a tremendous increase in commercial haptic activities aimed at moving the technology from the laboratories into commercial applications. Seismic modeling, faced with enormous quantities of volumetric data, modern mineral and oil prospectors use haptic technology to help visually and haptically look for important features in their data. Enabling geologists to feel soil density, stratification, and other properties, while seeing the information in 3D, has inspired significant commitment to haptic by a number of major companies, including Shell Oil. Virtual prototyping (see fig. 2 and fig. 3), designers especially in the aircraft and automobile industries, moving from expensive physical mockups of complex designs to digital designs need effective ways to test the assemble ability and maintainability of virtual prototypes. This need has inspired development of haptically accessible virtual environments in which assembly and disassembly can be used to guide final design.

Fig 2. Boeing LHD with F-18 Fig 3. UW LHD with integrated flight stick handgrip force sensor (w/o covers)

Shape sculpting. In the design community, the need to expressively and quickly create and modify computer-modeled shapes has inspired SensAble Technology, Cambridge, Mass., to develop "digital clay" technology (see fig. 4). Along with familiar and novel sculpting tools, this technology allows users to carry out expressive, free-form shape generation and modifications. It is reasonable to expect industrial designers and animators to soon use such tools to construct and modify their models.

Fig 4. Modeling haptic device

Molecular docking, simulating the forces of interaction-through haptic feedbackbetween a legend and a protein allows chemists to directly manipulate the complex structure. Mapping the natural phenomena of molecular forces into a perceptually accessible domain helps reveal the underlying mechanisms leading to or preventing successful docking in a way not possible before. Examples include investigating static and electrostatic forces acting on a complex model, testing of conformational flexibility, and assessing the quality of fit. This information can be factored into the design process to help maximize the bioactivity of new compounds. This work, with origins in the molecular docking research at the University of North Carolina, is now being commercialized, most notably by Interactive Simulations, San Diego (Tan, 2000). Surgical simulation and training (see fig. 5). Surgery was one of the earliest research topics in" computer haptic based training. But the complexity of rendering compliant biomaterials makes virtual surgery a particularly challenging undertaking. The potential benefits of simulation-based training and preoperative planning have attracted significant research interest and commercial investment. Systems under development are moving toward use in training and certification in several surgical specialties. For example, in machine haptic, surgical tele-robots already help humans perform cardiac and abdominal surgery. And it is easy to imagine the convergence of bio-simulation and tele-surgery in the near future.

Fig 5. Developing device for medical uses. Simple versions of the devices, such as "force-feedback mice," are already on the market and soon may become standard on personal computers, some researchers predict (see fig. 6). With them, the computer desktop becomes a virtual landscape where links feel like embossed text, scroll bars feel like gutters, and the borders of windows feel like picture frames. Computer users may decide, however, that they don't need to know how their cluttered computer screens feel to the touch.The idea for such devices has been around for decades, but researchers say useful haptic interfaces have been developed only in the last few years."It is growing rapidly-I think that's beyond doubt," says Robert D. Howe, a professor of engineering and applied sciences at Harvard University who is working on haptic devices. "People are finding all sorts of interesting applications for these things. 'Haptic' will soon become a household word."

Fig 6. iFeel mouse developed by Logitech Ed Colgate, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Northwestern University, says the "killer application" for haptic devices will be in design. He says that if haptic features could be added to standard computer-aided design (CAD) software, manufacturers could get a better sense of how their designs would fit together before building them. He says the software would give industrial designers "more than just geometry," but would let them feel "how much things weigh and how stiff they are." McGill's Mr. Hayward, however, says that haptic devices may be more useful to niche fields, such as robotics, than for the average industrial designer. At least three companies now sell haptic interfaces designed for researchersHaptic Technologies, Immersion Corporation, and SensAble Technologies. One such device is called the Phantom. It looks something like the jointed, swing arm lamps used by architects. A user puts a finger in a thimble-like object at the end of the arm. The device can then sense the user's motions in three dimensions and send the corresponding data to a computer. Powered by motors and cables, the device can also keep the user from moving his finger in one direction or another-to simulate, for instance, the user's having hit an object on the computer screen.

Phantom Desktop

The award-winning Phantom Desktop haptic device provides an affordable desktop solution and is ideal for customers who are performing certain types of haptic research. The Phantom Desktop provides precision positioning input and high fidelity force-feedback output. Portable design, compact footprint, and simple parallel port interface ensure quick installation and ease-of-use.

The stylus adapter kit for the Phantom Desktop haptic device provides a reliable and convenient way to attach a variety of devices to the standard Phantom Desktop stylus.

To understand more clearly the unique comparisons between the Phantom Omni and Desktop devices please see the downloadable PDF located in the right hand column of this page.

Features

CE Certified Six Degree-Of-Freedom Positional Sensing Automatic Workspace Calibration Multi-Function Indicator Light Portable Design and Compact Footprint for Workplace Flexibility Single Integrated Momentary Switch on Stylus for Ease of Use, And End User Customization Constructed Of Metal Components and Injection Molded, Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics Interface Parallel Port and Fire-Wire Option Compatible with Open Haptics Toolkit Compatible With Free Form Modelling & Claytools Software Supported Platforms - Intel or AMD-Based PCs Input - 6 DOF Output - 3 DOF

Features of phantom The Phantom is available in white (as reviewed here), as well as black and red so if you're not taken with the ghostly colour scheme, there are other options, although we quite like it. Unlike a lot of white cases, the glossy finish that NZXT has

applied to the Phantom works well, causing several members of the bittech and Custom PC team to proclaim that 'white is the new black'.

The inside also sports a predominantly white colour scheme with black trimmings. The Phantom is well made, if a little asymmetric, but given the drogues of black boxes we've seen over the years, it was quite refreshing. The side panels are a little flimsy, which is a shame, as they're the only part of the case that lets the build quality down. However, NZXT has told us that this is only a problem with the early sample we received, and the final retail version won't suffer from this issue.

The five tool-free 5.25in drive bays are hidden by a weakly magnetic door, but it feels solid and doesn't rattle around. Beneath the door is a large mesh vent, behind which, bizarrely, NZXT has negated to install a fan, instead fitting an empty 140mm fan mount. Incoming airflow is provided by two side-mounted 120mm fans that include dust filters, while an additional 120mm rear fan and giant 200mm roof fan act as exhausts. There's an additional 200mm fan mount in front of the included fan.

We spotted mounting holes for a dual 120mm-fan radiator in the roof too although only a half height radiator would fit with anything bigger fouling the VRM heatsinks on the motherboard. The PSU is mounted at the bottom of the Phantom

on four anti-vibration rubber spikes, and is fed air through a vent - which is protected by a dust filter - in the floor of the case.

There are five fan controllers, each of which is rated at 20W. These can be adjusted using sliders on the roof of the Phantom, and illuminate when fans are connected to them with space for another couple of fans out of the box.

A single Molex is required to power the controller, and the side-mounted fans are connected to the controller when you fit the side panel. The fans proved to be

very quiet even at full speed; with the fan speeds turned right down, the Phantom was inaudible from a distance of a few feet.

There are plenty of other features too, including ample cable-routing holes around the motherboard, E-ATX support and seven 3.5in bays, each of which also has mounts for 2.5in drives. The 3.5in drive bays are split into two cages, and the rear cage is screwed rather than not riveted to the case, so it's removable.

Two USB 2 ports and an eSATA port are located on top of the Phantom with microphone and speaker jacks close by too. With our initial inspection complete, aside from the disappointing exclusion of a front intake fan, we couldn't find

anything

wrong

with

the

Phantom.

Conclusion With the increase of the computation power of office and home PC one-day haptic mouse and interface device will be a common item in the house. The haptic development helps the sense impaired people to experience a new way of operating computers in a way they never do.From the examples mentioned in the commercial applications we can see that the use of haptic is actually infinite.Haptic could be used in medical, training, e-commerce, or even games.These are just some rough uses for haptic, the possibility is so much more and right now haptic is helping NASA to explore planets in the Solar system by controlling the robots.Though the technology is still quite unfamiliar to the general public but once haptic is introduced I believe it will grow like the Internet back in the late 1980s early 1990s.Haptic is the future for online computing and e-commerce it will enhance the shopper experience and help online shopper to feel the merchandise without leave their home.Thus I believe Internet is the way of the future and haptic will make Internet be the future.

Specifications

Dimensions (mm) 222 x 623 x 541mm (W x D x H) Material Steel Colour Black Weight 11kg

Front Panel Power and reset switches, 2 x USB 2, 1 x eSATA, Stereo, Mic Drive Bays 5 x external 5.25in drive bays, 7 x internal 3.5in/2.5in drive bays,

Form factor(s) E-ATX, ATX, micro-ATX Cooling 1 x front 140mm fan mount (fan not included), 1 x rear 120mm fan mount (fans included), 2 x 200mm roof fan mounts (1 fan included), 2 x 120mm side fan mounts (fans included)

PSU Not supplied

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

References

Buff, KR. Kaufman, L., and Thomas, J.P. (Eds).Handbook of Perception and Human Performance Sensory Processes and Perception.Vols. 1 and 2.Wiley,

New York, N.Y., 1986. Cole, J. Pride and a Daily Marathon.MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1995.

Durlach N. and Mavor A. S. Virtual Reality: Scientific and Technological Challenges. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C, 1994

Brewster, S.A.(1999). Sound in the interface to a mobile computer. In Proceedings of HCI International'99 (Munich, Germany), Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, NJ, pp 43-47.

Brewster, S.A. and Walker, V.A. (2000). Non-Visual Interfaces for Wearable Computers. IEE Workshop on wearable Computing (00/145). IEE Press.

Brewster, S.A. Overcoming the Lack of Screen Space on Mobile Computers. Department of Computing Science Technical Report TR-2001-87, April. Glasgow University.

Srinivasan, M., Cutkosky, M., Howe, R., and Salisbury, J. Human and Machine Haptics. MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass., 1999.