The haptic display of complex graphical environments

Force feedback coupled with visual display allows people to interact intuitively with complex virtual environments. For this synergy of haptics and graphics to flourish, however, haptic systems must be capable of modeling environments with the same richness, complexity and interactivity that can be found in existing graphic systems. To help meet this challenge, we have developed a haptic rendering system that allows for the efficient tactile display of graphical information. The system uses a common high-level framework to model contact constraints, surface shading, friction and texture. The multilevel control system also helps ensure that the haptic device will remain stable even as the limits of the renderers capabilities are reached.