Touch glove and haptic feedback. Touch screen equipped with electromagnetic drives. Haptic Feedback

• Translation

Tactile feedback has already been present in gadgets for a very long time. long time. Most often it is presented in smartphones and joysticks of game consoles in the form of “vibrate alerts” and response vibration in response to user actions. Duplicating incoming calls, reminders and shaking when shooting and explosions are the most common uses of the haptic function. And the vast majority of users cannot imagine any other way to use this communication channel.

However, there are several directions for using this method of interaction and obtaining information from devices. More precisely, there are three of these directions. And their widespread use in mass electronics will give users a qualitatively new experience of using seemingly familiar gadgets. This will mark the beginning of a new stage in development consumer devices, aptly called the "neosensory era".

The first way to use tactile feedback is to expand the range of tactile sensations from using gadgets. The second method is the transfer of specific template information. The third way is communication. Let's look at each of them in more detail.

Expanding the range of tactile sensations

Amazon recently released five new devices, two e-ink readers and three tablets. And most interesting device is a premium Kindle Voyage reader.

What's so special about her? On both sides of the screen, whose surface has a paper-like texture, there are touch zones for turning pages. Moreover, the flipping itself is initiated not by the usual touch or sliding gesture, but light compression these sensory areas. When a page is “turned,” the device produces a vibration similar to what occurs when paper pages slide over each other.

By the way, in the first YotaPhone we also experimented with tactile feedback when using the touch zone under the second screen. When turning pages using a swipe gesture, the smartphone vibrates pleasantly. The second YotaPhone will have a fully touchscreen second screen, which gives much more options. Therefore, we have developed completely new scenarios for using the second screen, which you will learn about after the presentation of the smartphone.

Another example of a new approach to the use of haptic communication is demonstrated by the Apple iWatch, which will go on sale next year. They integrate the so-called “Taptic engine” (a combination of words tap(touch) and haptic(tactile)), a unique system of physical response to user actions. For example, when you turn the winding crown, you immediately feel a specific vibration, as if dancing along your wrist, adding an unusual sensation when using this mechanical control. When you swipe the screen, press a button next to the head, or perform some other action, the Taptic engine generates specific tactile responses, accompanying the level sensations.

Apple's sworn friend, Samsung, did not remain aloof from the new direction. Koreans recently presented a series multifunction printers Smart MultiXpress, equipped with a “tablet” interface with a variety of tactile communications.

All of these aforementioned devices take advantage of a new direction in engineering called haptography(haptic+ photography, can be translated as “tactylography”). It involves registering and recording physical sensations with subsequent playback. In fact, this direction is at the very beginning of its formation. With him further development, users will have access to a new dimension in interaction with gadgets. For example, we will be able to feel the surface texture of objects that we see on the screen or hear from the speakers. Modern lifeless displays of smartphones and tablets will come to life and will literally respond to touch. All kinds of interfaces, from car dashboards to refrigerator doors and remote controls, will begin to “touch in response” to our touch. And this tactile “responsiveness” will be almost mesmerizing.

Transmission of specific template information

IN Apple watch iWatch also implements a mechanism for transmitting specific template information. For example, if you're following a route in a mapping app, the watch will alert you to turn by vibrating on the right or left side, so you don't even have to look at the screen.

New hybrid car The Mercedes S550 will transmit tactile information via vibration of the floor under the driver's feet. For example, in this way the car will prompt you to slow down the gas in order to save fuel or battery charge. Another type of vibration will notify the driver of the switch from an electric motor to an internal combustion engine.

Wearable devices like smart glasses(which, unlike Google's product, will look like regular glasses) will vibrate faintly, alerting the user when any specific information comes into view.

Communication

Perhaps communicating with people is one of the most interesting ways to use tactile feedback. And here we have to mention the Apple iWatch again. If you select someone's contact from your favorites list and then touch the screen, that person will feel that touch through the specific vibration of their Apple iWatch. You can even send your heartbeat to another person, where the sender and recipient will see a pulsating heart on their screens and both will feel its rhythm on their wrists. By the way, perhaps in the Russian language, over time, such a vocabulary phrase as “I can smell for hours” will appear.

This idea is also used in many startups, for example, in the Tactilu bracelet, which transfers “touch” from one user to another.

Of course, this feature will soon be introduced into smartphones. Perhaps it will even come to the standardization of some kind of “tactile protocol”. Surely there will be custom vibration patterns, similar to ringtones for calls and SMS, so you can understand who is calling you simply by the specific vibration selected for this contact.

The most amazing thing about this prospect is not at all the indulgence of lazy users who do not even want to look at the phone screen, but in a new psychological experience, somewhat reminiscent of telepathy, when in the first moments, even unconsciously, you suddenly “feel” the attention of another person.

How haptic feedback improves the user experience

We are now at the very beginning of the “neosensory era.” It is very likely that within a couple of years, the vast majority of gadgets will have a built-in function for extremely plausible tactile feedback. We will find ourselves in a situation where user expectations will encourage manufacturers to integrate high-quality tactile interfaces into all the new gadgets.

The new trend will be especially pronounced in wearable gadgets. It is possible that devices will appear that will have no interface at all other than a tactile one - neither touch-graphic nor mechanical. Interfaces like these will add depth, completeness, and quite literally a good feel to computers, phones, tablets, and wearable devices, including cars and various Appliances. In part, this will provide purely utilitarian advantages, but mainly we will be attracted by the psychological, aesthetic moment.

What if we add to all kinds of vibration a change in the texture of the gadget’s surface? You can not only get some kind of active reaction to your actions, it can already be fully described as “I feel it with my skin.”
Perhaps the greatest variety of applications for haptic feedback will be seen in smartphones, simply because of their versatility and constant demand by users.

Imagine you're watching a movie, a scene in the desert, and your smartphone feels like it's made of compressed sand. Or your loved one will write to you that he touched the glass of a window, and you begin to feel the smoothness and hardness of its surface. Paper, wood, glass, concrete, sand, all this can not only be “touched”, our brain will receive much more more information about the situation, and almost on an unconscious level we understand and empathize much more deeply with other people, the plots of books, films, games, television news, even songs.

Interesting prospects are opening up for users who actively correspond with smartphones. For different users in the contact list, in social networks and instant messengers, it will be possible to configure not only different vibration patterns, but also changes in surface texture. And when typing a message to someone, you won’t have to be distracted to see who has already written to you. It will be possible to create different tactile schemes even for different emoticons, thus conveying the sensations of smiling, laughter, sadness, anger and many other emotions.

It is very likely that replacement panels for smartphones may appear, either hard or in the form of soft, thin, form-fitting cases, capable of changing the texture of their surface in a different way. Naturally, for YotaPhone they will be completely transparent, allowing you to work with touch screens. At the same time, the vibration circuits may be different depending on which YotaPhone screen you are working with at the moment. A real haven for kinesthetic gourmets.

There will be programs that allow you to create your own vibration circuits and texture changing algorithms. And if today we show each other photographs taken on a smartphone, then it is possible that in 15 years we will invite each other to simply hold them.

We won’t be surprised if many users subconsciously begin to perceive their smartphones as living pets, because they will not only react sensitively to our actions, but also show “their own emotions.”

We believe that in two decades, most gadgets and devices will be equipped with tactile user interfaces. At least we really hope so.

Very convenient function phones and tablets - the ability to signal calls or messages not only with sound, but also with vibration. This notification method is convenient, for example, for important meetings or work situations - colleagues are not distracted and the message is not missed. But besides these functions, vibration also accompanies virtual keyboard. And if your device has vibration feedback for typing by default, you can spend a lot of time and effort before turning it off.

How to enable or disable keyboard vibration response through smartphone settings

Video: how to disable vibration of system buttons

Vibration settings for calls and notifications in Android

Setting a vibration signal for calls or messages is a topic that deserves a separate analysis. Modern smartphones usually have several modes built into them for calls and notifications of various kinds, which, however, can be configured independently. By default, their parameters are usually the following:

• Normal - ringer sound is on, vibration intensity is medium, screen locking and unlocking sounds are on.
• No sound - all sounds are turned off, all types of vibration are turned off.
• Meeting - all sounds are turned off, vibration is on.
• On the street - maximum volume and vibration intensity.

Default audio profiles on Android

IN normal mode You can enable or disable vibration feedback, key sounds, and select a ringtone.

Create a custom audio profile

1. If you need to set up a completely customized profile, this can be done by creating a so-called custom audio profile (via the menu button in the upper right corner of the screen).

   

   Select “Add”

2. Let's call it “My Profile”.

   

   We write “My profile” or any other name

3. Click on it and select “Edit”.

   

   Set the volume for ringtone, notifications and alarm clock

4. Then you can, for example, leave the phone’s vibration response and the sound when you press keys, but turn off the sounds when you press the screen and lock the screen. Vibration feedback in this context means the phone vibrates when you press the “Menu”, “Home” and “Back” keys - there is no response when you touch the screen.

   

5. To save your profile, simply exit back to the profile menu. Connect the newly created profile.

   

   Select "My Profile"

In previous Android versions There is an option to adjust the vibration intensity for calls, messages and vibration feedback. You can configure it through the “Sounds and notifications” settings item by dragging the slider.

In this window you can adjust the vibration intensity for different types notifications and responses

The “Tactile feedback” item, by the way, implies the screen responds to all possible touches. In Android 5.1, for example, there is no such feature - only vibration in response to keypresses.

Customize Vibrancy: control vibration modes and intensity

There is software available to enhance vibration, which can be found at Play Store in free access. Among such applications, for example, Customize Vibrancy.

On the play market the application looks like this:

You can download Customize Vibrancy from the Play Store

The description of the program is quite promising. According to it, you can set not only vibration for calls and notifications, but also adjust its intensity, rhythm (for example, make the phone vibrate to the rhythm of the Imperial March or Smoke on the Water), as well as vibration alerts when connecting/disconnecting the Internet and much more. useful options for calls. In particular, you can connect a vibration signal to connect with a subscriber - then you don’t have to listen to beeps, but calmly hold the phone in your hand, going about your business, until it vibrates. Or you can, for example, set vibration for every minute of a call after a certain duration of the conversation.

The program looks simple - one window that lists possible parameters settings: enable/disable vibration on incoming call, to pick up the phone, to end a call, for SMS and others. With a long press you can go to the vibration selection menu.

Vibration selection menu in Customize Vibrancy

The plus sign in the upper right corner is another specific feature of the application. It allows you to record your own “melody” of vibration by clicking on the screen, even translating Morse code - you can enter a word or phrase into a line, and the program will encrypt it into short and long signals. In the settings you can change the length of the time unit, which is equal to a point in Morse code.

The Customize Vibration functionality is undoubtedly interesting. But there is an unpleasant moment: on Android 5.1, for example, the program not only does not work - the user is thrown to the desktop the first time they try to change the vibration for incoming calls. Judging by user reviews, many people encounter this problem. The application may work better for other versions of the operating system.

Access to advanced settings - engineering menu

To access advanced settings, you can use the engineering menu. For devices on Mediatek processor entrance to engineering menu is carried out by typing a code that actually “enters” this menu.

Table: codes for entering the engineering menu

The parameters that can be adjusted in the menu should be changed with caution. For example, before changing the speaker volume or microphone sensitivity, it is better to write down set parameters in case something goes wrong and you need to change them to the original ones.

Another way to open the engineering menu is to download a program that will allow you to go there. There are many of them on the Play Store: at the request of Engineer Mode, at least a dozen suitable applications appear. This is, for example, MTK Engineering Mode,Engineer Mode Test Tool or MTK Engineering App. As for the possible vibration settings, you can find several functions that were introduced in Customize Vibrancy - vibration feedback when connecting or disconnecting a call, for example. Adjusting the vibration intensity, by the way, is not noted in the menu: many more functions relate to audio settings, but vibration is not among the adjustable parameters.

Video: how to enter the engineering menu and what settings can be changed

What to do if vibration does not work at all or suddenly disappears

Yes, this happens too. If, for example, the phone stops vibrating at all during incoming calls (which may be completely inappropriate when waiting for an important call, for example), the first thing to do is check and double-check the audio profile settings. It may happen that you accidentally switched to the mode without vibration - then there is no problem as such.

If everything is fine with audio profiles, the reason may lie either in the equipment itself or in application problems. In the first case, it is optimal to immediately take the phone to a service center, but some users offer a slightly “barbaric” method, which, nevertheless, works for many. If the vibration disappears due to the vibration motor coming loose, you can try to dial your number from another phone and lightly tap the phone on your palm during the call - there is a chance that this will help put the motor back in place. If it doesn’t help or suspicions fall on firmware problems, it’s better not to risk it and still take the phone to a technician.

So, if you have a problem or question related to the vibration settings of your Android device, you are already familiar with most of the methods. The main thing is to know where exactly to configure certain parameters, and to be as careful as possible in the engineering menu and not accidentally “increase” too much.

The vast majority of people communicate with computers using sight and hearing. However, in some cases, the most appropriate sense would be touch. Manufacturers in the field computer technology recognize this and are expanding the use of haptic solutions.

Tactile (from the Greek word meaning "to grasp" or "to touch") refers to the ability of equipment to produce an output signal that we can feel through touch rather than see or hear. Tactile signal- this is usually recoil or vibration. How strong is the recoil? “Small devices produce 3-4 newtons [300 to 400 grams], and some larger ones produce more than 30 N,” says Ben Landon, haptic equipment specialist at SensAble Technologies Inc.

Application of haptic technologies

There are two main areas of application of tactile technologies: virtual reality (including games and medical training) and remote control (or telecontrol). While the most obvious use case for haptic technology is in computer games, similar projects exist in industry. For example, haptic technologies provide users with the ability to touch and feel objects computer design and design in CAD systems and the like. These tools provide feedback to the design software application, and fully electronic steering and brakes respond realistically to operator or driver inputs, eliminating the need for bulky and complex direct connections or power assisted systems.

SensAble Technologies' Omni arm supports six degrees of freedom positioning and force feedback

Tactile technologies used in medicine are a way to protect patients from medical errors and provide “virtual” training for inexperienced personnel. Tactile medical training systems reproduce with amazing realism the sensation of immersing a needle or peritoneoscope and allow you to see the results on the screen, and at the same time hear the patient complaining if something is done incorrectly. Such devices can be used for dental procedures and much more.

“The training process for doctors today comes with some risk,” said Tom Anderson, president of Novint Technologies. “The first 50 procedures on a live patient is where they learn.” Novint has epidural and dental simulators that have received positive feedback from users. Michael Levin, vice president and general manager of industrial and gaming technologies Immersion Corp., says that about 800 of its company's vascular simulation devices are currently in use. They allow students to be taught the technique of inserting an IV needle.

Haptic technologies are also finding applications in the development of medical implants, notes Bob Steingart, president and chief operating officer of SensAble Technologies Inc. CT scanner data comes in the form of voxels (three-dimensional volumetric pixels). SensAble equipment uses the same format. “Imagine a person with a hole in the skull,” explains Steingart. “You start with a model obtained using a computer or magnetic resonance imaging scanner. The goal is to obtain a prosthesis that fills this hole. Using our voxel system and virtual filler, a model of the skull too will consist of voxels - you can get a very well-fitted synthetic body part, and, most importantly, very quickly, the output data is usually fed to a device that quickly creates a prototype, and in some cases to a milling machine."

“Haptic technology can also be used to improve the presentation of data,” notes Landon (SensAble), “allowing the user to navigate a sea of ​​data (such as seismic imaging of rocks) using additional funds perception. You not only have color and time, but also force, which will help you determine the nature of the data."

Buttons, mice, joysticks

Perhaps the simplest example of haptic technology is control knobs, like those used to tune a radio. By equipping such a handle with a motor and a brake, you can achieve various types fixation, support and even shock absorption. And all these characteristics can be changed as needed.

Haptic mice support feedback or vibration, or both, as a response software on user actions. They are used in a wide range of applications, from gaming to physical therapy, and the use of a tactile mouse as a computer input tool for blind people is currently being explored. There is one problem with using a tactile mouse. This is that the mouse must have some means of tracking its absolute position; Nowadays, axes or threads connected to the base are used for this.

Robotics in reverse: virtual manipulators

In a 3D virtual world, haptic technology corresponds to "robots in reverse." A robot allows the virtual world (software) to manipulate real objects. A haptic device allows a person to manipulate virtual objects and feel them as if they were real.

Touch screen equipped with electromagnetic drives

For example, the user can grasp a manipulator (some systems use a glove or "ring") connected to a bracket system.

Haptic devices can have three degrees of freedom (3 DOF), which allow sensing of the X, Y, and Z axes, or 6 DOF (6 DOF), which are also sensitive to rotation and tilt. The number of degrees of freedom reflects the number of parameters being changed. The system senses the position of the handle and transmits the appropriate feedback and vibration to the user using built-in motors and braking systems. When the cursor encounters a virtual object, the operator feels resistance, which can be hard (for a solid object), soft, or elastic. If necessary, the handle can vibrate to simulate, for example, the sensation of a person dragging a pen over an uneven surface. Tactile gloves can be used in physical therapy to help patients who have suffered heart attack, regain strength and improve body functions.

Researchers at Japan's Toyohashi University of Technology studied the possibility of using haptic joysticks to control cranes to avoid collisions. Several organizations are developing haptic feedback systems for surgical robots (which are actually remote controlled). Nanotechnologists are trying to integrate tactile devices into scanning electron microscopes to provide a sense of touch when manipulating nano-objects.

Touch screens with feedback

More recently, tactile technologies have been used in the manufacture of touch screens. Conventional touch screens allow the operator to act on any point on the screen surface, but haptic technologies make it possible to really feel it. Press the button and you will feel (and often even hear) a click. Virtual buttons can be any size or shape and can be located anywhere on the screen. The type of response to touch may also vary.

In December 2005, Volkswagen AG received a license to use Immersion's haptic technology in automotive panels. Instead of just feeling the hard surface of a virtual control panel, drivers feel the buttons press in and out, just like real buttons and switches. According to Levin, users given a choice between touchscreens with and without haptic feedback showed a strong preference for the haptic options, and if they could only choose one option, they chose that one.

The feeling of touch can be recreated in several ways. Probably the most direct would be to build whole line movable contact pins on the screen so that the surface actually takes the desired shape. Although this approach is effective, it is complex and expensive. A simpler approach is to place electromagnetic actuators in the corners of the screen, which will control the movement of the outer surface of the touch screen (see diagram). Research has shown that the critical parameter is not distance, but acceleration. According to the NEMA standard, the offset can be from 0.1 to 0.2 mm.

While haptic technologies are gaining increasing acceptance in games and training simulations, expansion into industrial applications has been slower. One of the factors that will help expand the use of this technology in industrial equipment is the ease of integration of haptic technologies into interfaces.

Most haptic technology companies offer a range of application programming interfaces (APIs) for various applications of these technologies and other software to facilitate development. Immersion Corp is working on a universal kit consisting of a small round panel, a set of actuators and an instruction manual. The panel has pre-programmed tactile effects; any others can be additionally downloaded and saved to flash memory. SensAble Technologies also offers a variety of haptics for its equipment.

Lower costs will also lead to increased demand for haptic technology. At the lower end of the price range is Novint's Falcon model with three degrees of freedom, which sells for $150-200. Although this device is designed for everyday use, Experience has shown that some consumer electronic products penetrate the industrial and commercial sector virtually unchanged. And if they are produced and sold in retail quantities, prices can be quite attractive. As for reliability, Novint's Anderson says the product "is designed for people to bang on it, but they also want it to run continuously for long periods of time, especially when they're playing games." video games."

SensAble's Phantom Omni—a six-degree-of-freedom arm attached to a base that can sit on a desktop—costs about $2,400 with its software package. When it comes to touchscreens, Immersion displays are available in sizes up to 19", the price of a haptic feedback device is approximately the same as a touchscreen.

Although haptic technologies are far from perfect, it is already clear that they have a promising future in the industrial field. While regular mice aren't likely to go away, despite Novint naming one of its models Falcon after a mouse-eating bird of prey, they may not be the only ones capable of performing such functions.

Android is a great OS in every way, fully customizable, with millions of free and paid applications, a variety of launchers and the availability of many games are some of the advantages. The only drawback that can be found in Android is the battery consumption. Compared to other operating systems, you may feel that Android phones drain battery capacity faster. So, to solve this problem, we have some tips to save battery on your phone.

1. The display consumes most of the power

Your screen mobile device consumes much more power than any other application/process. Try not to turn on the display when the battery is low, this will prolong the operation of the device.

2. Reduce screen brightness

Since the screen consumes a lot of power, you should set the brightness to minimum level, comfortable for perception.

3. Turn off wireless

Turn on mobile data, Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth and GPS only when you need them. All of this consumes a lot of energy and should not be used all the time.

4. Prioritize WiFi

If you can have access to Wi-Fi networks, then you should use it instead of mobile data. Mobile data consumes much more power than Wi-Fi and therefore should be completely eliminated if possible.

5. Turn off automatic sync

Most applications you install sync files with servers after specified interval. The synchronization process must be started manually and only for those applications for which you want to synchronize data.

6. Use a minimum number of widgets

Widgets use energy to update data and to display changes. They always work in background. You should not use many widgets at the same time.

7. Don't use live wallpapers

Live wallpapers are very power hungry and can drain your Android battery very quickly. You have to turn them off when you want to squeeze maximum time run on battery power, or better yet, don't use them at all.

8. Close applications manually or using special utilities

When you close the program, it continues to run in the background. This is done to reduce the time it takes to launch and make the application more responsive. But, being in random access memory That's all, they consume battery power. Either stop them using your phone's task manager or use third-party apps.

9. Use a black background

If your phone has AMOLED screen, then you should use black image as a background. This will reduce battery consumption for displaying screen content. Also choose a dark theme if possible.

10. Set Screen Timeout to Lowest Value

Screen timeout determines the time after which your screen's backlight turns off when the device is not in use. Setting it to a lower value will save your phone's battery.

11. Turn off haptic feedback

Vibration feedback is an option that allows your phone to provide feedback in the form of vibration when you tap the screen. Although it is useful while typing, it consumes a lot of resources. You should turn it off to save your phone's battery power.

12. Switch to airplane mode

When you are on a plane, you need to translate your mobile phone to airplane mode. Since you don't have a network connection, your phone's transmitter will continue to try to find a network. It just drains the battery and nothing else. Therefore, switch to airplane mode when you are on board an airplane. You can also turn it off if you don't want to use your phone's radio.

13. Turn on power saving mode

By default, Power Saving Mode limits CPU usage, dims screen brightness, disables data transfer when the screen is off, and disables haptic feedback. Perhaps this is the most effective method save your Android phone's battery.

14. Data transfer limitation

Many applications, such as Gmail, Google Play Store and many others collect and transmit data to their servers in the background. This drains the battery very quickly. To stop this you can limit your data usage by going to Settings - data usage and select the "Limit background data" option.

And by the way, if you send out a lot of SMS messages, it may make sense to use an SMS gateway - it will be cheaper and more efficient, allowing you to send messages to a significant number of mobile subscribers.

Touch glove. Direct tracking hand movements has long been of great interest to many developers. For example, in 1983 the Digital Entry Glove device was patented. But the real breakthrough was the DataGlove sensor glove, developed at NASA's Joseph Ames Research Center, and then improved and released to the market by VPL Research (Fig. 2.20).

To determine the value finger bend angles the VPL DataGlove uses elastic optical fibers(light guides). Finger flexion is detected using a set of ten fiber optic sensors that are built into the glove above each knuckle. The sensors work on the principle that if an optical fiber is bent, the light transmitted through it is attenuated in proportion to the bend. Each sensor consists of a light source at one end of the fiber and a detector at the other. The microprocessor sequentially scans all sensors and calculates the bend angle of each finger joint using a certain model structure of the human hand. The glove connects to the PC using a standard serial interface RS-232.

Fig.2.20. VPL DataGlove touch glove

Several competing touch-sensitive gloves have been developed, the most famous of which is the inexpensive Nintendo PowerGlove (Figure 2.21, left), designed for use in video games. Gloves with light sensors were developed by the Californian company Virtual Technologies, for example, the simplest CyberGlove mittens. There is also an 18-sensor model that tracks the movements of the fingers (Fig. 2.21, in the center), and a 22-sensor model that can also capture the flexion-extension of all fingers except the thumb. These gloves give an error of only 0.5-1°. The 22-touch model takes readings 149 times per second, and the 18-touch model takes readings 112 times per second. Computers & more produces the 5th Glove (Fig. 2.68, right).

In other models, in particular, Virtex CyberGlove, tension sensors are used to determine the bend angles of the fingers. For some tasks, the accuracy (of the order of ±10º) and repeatability of readings from such sensors may be insufficient. A more accurate measurement method is provided by Exos' Dexterous Handmaster, which has an exoskeleton attached to the knuckles and Hall effect sensors. Sensors allow you to determine finger bend angles with an accuracy of ±0.5º. However, it's not entirely clear that any benefit can be gained from such precision, and it may well be that the four levels of data provided by the Nintendo PowerGlove are actually sufficient for most tasks.

Fig.2.21. Touch Gloves: Nintendo PowerGlove; 18-touch model from Virtual Technologies; 5th Glove

There is also technology with mechanical sensors, but it is heavy and imperfect.

The tracking system also digitizes hand position. Aerospace corporation McDonnell Douglas has developed the Polyhemus system, which is built into the DataGlove glove and serves to determine the position of the hand.

The mentioned VIEW video helmet and DataGlove use a system of sensors sensitive to electromagnetic field. The accuracy of position determination is about two millimeters. The glove can be located at any point of a conventional ball with a diameter of 1 m.

A more modern P5 glove from the American company Essential Reality is shown in Fig. 2.22. The base station is turned on USB port and does not require external power, the glove is connected by wire to the base station. On the back of the “palm” there are 8 infrared LEDs that allow the base station to track the movements of the hand in space. The base station contains 2 infrared cameras, which allows you to more reliably monitor the glove and accurately determine the distance to it.

Fig.2.22. Base station and P5 glove

The visibility area of ​​the base station is 45° vertically and horizontally and about 1.5 m in depth. In this cone, P5 can track hand coordinates along 3 axes with an accuracy of 0.6 cm (60 cm from the base), as well as palm rotation and tilt with an accuracy of 2°. Coordinates are polled at a frequency of 40 Hz (the delay is 12 ms). In addition to the tracking system LEDs, the glove has 5 rubber “fingers” with bend sensors. They are attached to the user's fingers with plastic rings and measure the bend with an accuracy of 1.5°. There are also 4 buttons on the back of the glove, one of which is programmable (the rest are used for calibration, on/off and switching operating modes). So in joystick terms the P5 has 11 analog axes and 1 button.

Haptic feedback(Forced Feedback) is used in touch gloves to simulate touch hands towards the object. Tactile feedback is most easily implemented small speaker in the palm, since the hand feels well the click made by the speaker in response to some event. But this is only a signal about events, and I would like to get the feeling of touching virtual objects. This feeling can be simulated in many ways.

To simulate the sensation of touch using pressure often used air inflatable balloons, with the help of which the strength or rigidity of the pressure of the glove on the fingers is regulated. Attempts have been made to apply piezoelectric crystals, which, when vibrating, create a feeling of pressure, as well as shape memory alloys, which can be made to bend, allowing weak electricity. A similar device, the Portable Dexterous Master (Fig. 2.23), consisting of a VPL DataGlove equipped with three pneumatic actuators, was developed by inventor Grigor Berdia of Rutgers University.

Fig.2.23. Portable Dextrous Master Device

In addition to the sensation of pressure, imitation of the sensation is also important resistance when trying to move a virtual object. For this purpose it can be used miniature robotic arm, attached to the hand. For example, later models of the DataGlove already included piezoelectric sensors at the fingertips to provide some level of haptic feedback. When the user picks up a virtual object, he feels pressure from the contact of his fingers with the surface of the object. Even later, the glove was equipped with a special robotic exoskeleton, allowing you to create sensations of weight and strength.

“Force” feedback can be implemented without sensor gloves. A simple force feedback device was developed by Digital. This lever, similar to the throttle on a motorcycle, which can change the strength of its resistance to turning. A team of specialists from UNC used an electromechanical manipulator to create “force” feedback.

Tactile feedback is very sensitive to the characteristics of the feedback loops: the user subconsciously instantly reacts to impulses from the system and adjusts his reaction before the system has time to work out previous reactions. It is believed that to create a reliable illusion of feeling an object, the tactile system must have an information update rate of 300-1000 Hz, which is at least an order of magnitude higher than the update rate of visual information.

Virtual Technologies has developed the CyberGrasp device with feedback haptics, giving the user the opportunity to feel the virtual world with their own hands (Fig. 2.24).

Special hooks are worn over gloves and, if necessary, prevent the hand from being compressed with a force of up to 12 N (Newton) on each finger (a force of 1 N must be applied in order for a body weighing 1 kg to change acceleration by 1 m/s; or this is the gravitational force acting on 1/9.8 Kg). The maximum impact of CyberGrasp is comparable to that which can be experienced by hanging 1.2 kg on each finger with the elbow joint straight, plus the foot itself weighs another 350 g.

The company Virtual Technologies also invented the CyberTouch device with reverse tactile input (Fig. 2.25). This small device is worn on the fingertips and transmits various types of vibration to them. It attaches on top of VR gloves.

Fig.2.24. CyberGrasp device

Fig.2.25. CyberTouch device

The British came up with gloves with a system of balls and a compressor for heating the air, in which you can feel not only the unevenness of virtual objects, but also their temperature. Such a device most fully transmits tactile influence to the hands.

Hand sensors designed to track its movements. The simplest sensors only have a Position Tracker built in, which tracks the movements of a small cube in the user’s hand. The production of such sensors is carried out by Ascension Technology Corporation. For example, the MibiBird sensor (Fig. 2.26, left) is capable of tracking the hand during rotation ±180° vertically and horizontally, as well as ±90° around its axis with an error of 0.1-0.5°. The Motion Star device (Fig. 2.26, right) is of a more widespread nature and is similar to MibiBird. There are also more sensitive similar devices.

Trainers and simulators. Many crafts rely on fine motor control and human hand coordination. Some professions require a lot of practice to learn and train for and can take years to achieve a certain level of proficiency (for example, calligraphy). Trainers, simulators and simulation systems are designed to improve learning efficiency. The use of devices with tactile feedback allows the learning process to be carried out more effectively, especially when the learner's hand is guided by an electronic expert - a device with tactile feedback.

Telecontrol ( remote control) and micro-manipulation, robotics.Working with inaccessible or hazardous material requires telepresence of the operator. The use of devices with tactile feedback makes it possible to improve the quality of remote control of robots and various execution devices by transmitting additional tactile information that is intuitive to the operator. Unfortunately, standard joysticks do not allow the use of this channel of human information perception.

The use of devices with haptic feedback is justified in critical operations with remote control of robots, where operators can instantly feel the reaction and various restrictions manipulator (dynamics, workspace limitations, etc.).

Micromanipulators are small robots built to perform various tasks with objects often finer than human hair. Accordingly, the use of haptic feedback devices allows the operator to manipulate micro-robots in an intuitive and familiar way.

Medicine. A large number of high-tech medical devices are often limited to the surgeon's primary tool, namely their hands. Accordingly, the use of systems with tactile feedback in medical simulators and real medical robots allows tactile information to be transmitted to the surgeon, which allows all manipulations to be done in a familiar and intuitive manner. in an understandable form.

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Multimedia technologies in education

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Multimedia technologies in education
Tutorial Part 2. Virtual reality, creation of multimedia products, application of multimedia technologies in education

Virtual reality concept
One of the promising areas for increasing the efficiency of computer use is associated with the development of hardware and software for a comprehensive impact on the user of a personal computer.

Definitions and perceptions of VR
Definition 1. VR is a set of means that make it possible to create in a person the illusion that he is in an artificially created world, by replacing the usual perception of the surrounding reality

VR measurements
Different VR systems provide different types of interactivity, levels of immersion, and features. Types of interactivity: · flight in VR. Freedom of movement,

The emergence and development of VR systems
The creation of VR systems is based on the use computer graphics and animation, computer and simulation modeling, remote control, computer-aided design, human technology

Display methods
The easiest way to “plunge” into the virtual world is to watch it using a regular PC display. In this case, they talk about a “tabletop” or “windowed” VR system. Such a system has a higher

Movement in virtual space
Travel to virtual space due to the need for positioning. A conventional two-dimensional mouse, as a device for pointing points on a plane, has only 2 degrees of freedom.

VR audio support
Sound complements visual information and warns the user about events that are invisible to him, for example, happening behind his back. For such signaling, sometimes mono sound is sufficient. And if

VR systems VFX 1 and VFX 3D
The VR system VFX 1 Headgear VR System from Forte Technologies (Fig. 2.44), which is based on the HMD, consists of the following modules:

Haptic Workstation
It is an example of the comprehensive development of various VR devices by Immersion. Included workstation Haptic Workstation (Fig. 2.48) includes:

Areas and prospects for the use of VR environments
The scope of application of the considered VR hardware and software environment is quite wide and diverse: · visual three-dimensional design; · remote control of robots, tra

Interactive mind games
It all started in Wednesday operating systems(OS) UNIX and MS-DOS with fairly simply organized, but very exciting strategic computer games such as “Chess”, “Dungeon”,

Performance animation
Performance animation is a relatively new direction in animation, which makes it possible to convey natural, realistic movements in real life. Small, lightweight sensors are attached to the vehicle

Modeling and synthesis of visual dynamic images of virtual people
A very interesting and promising area of ​​research and development is the so-called synthesis of dynamic images virtual people simulation based various systems and elements

Interactive intellectual activities with alternative scenarios
Hypertechnologies can be applied not only to texts or images, but also to dynamic actions (films or animations). Nonlinearity information structure in this case it is achieved on the basis

Application areas of multimedia applications
By and large, all the numerous areas of application of MM applications can be summarized into three main groups. 1. Business area where they can be used ·

Programs for creating and editing text and hypertext
Word processors. Among the many word processors today, the dominant ones are: · MS Office Word 2007 – a developed software that allows you to create quite complex

Programs for creating and editing graphics
In this group there are four types of programs: · programs for working with raster graphics; · programs for working with vector graphics; · combines

Sound creation and editing programs
Programs for working with sound can be divided into three large groups: · sequencer programs for creating music based on sequencer or MIDI technology; ·

Programs for creating and editing 3D graphics and animation
To create traditional (two-dimensional) animation, the following programs can be used: Macromedia Director, Autodesk Animator family, Animator Pro,

Programs for creating and editing interactive 3D representations
These include support programs virtual panoramas: QuickTime, Live Picture software (for creating images in FPX and IMOB formats), viewer

Main stages and stages of development of MM products
Two main technologies are used to create MM products for various purposes: · internet/intranet technology, when the product is a GT document;

Technologies for supporting text and hypertext UM
Methods of presenting information can be divided into linear and structural. With linear representation educational information the structure of the presentation of the mind is uniquely determined by the order of their traces

Technologies for using graphics
It is known that vector images require less storage space than raster images and can be scaled without loss of quality. Thus, if in a MM product (eg

Technologies supporting animation and 3D graphics
Animation is one of the modern forms presentation of graphics in electronic publications. At first glance, animation is similar to a video film, but it is fundamentally different from it, since it has de

Video creation and support technologies
Video information is presented in the form of video clips (video clips), i.e. sets of sequentially displayed interconnected images - frames (video frames). If the rate of appearance in

Technologies for creating and supporting interactive 3D views
QuickTimeVR technology. It provides support for critical VR views such as VR Panorama, VR Object, and VR Scene. The VR panorama reflects the view from a fixed point

Multimedia publications on CD-ROM and DVD-ROM
1. Encyclopedias. These are the most expensive and widely known CD editions. These include: “Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary” (Autopan publishing house); "Big encyclopedia

Types of software for developing MM products
Integrated developer environments (IDEs) allow you to combine separately created fragments of different types into a single complete whole - an MM application. ISR MM applications can be conditionally

Programming language support tools
Universal languages programming in comparison with authoring systems are more flexible and allow you to create more productive MM applications. But in modern conditions flexibility and

Problems of creating mm xo
The creation of MM CSR is associated with solving a number of diverse problems. And as often happens in modern and promising, integrated and ever-increasingly complex areas of knowledge and human activity

Directions and means of adapting MM CSR to the capabilities and characteristics of the user
Of particular importance are the following directions MM CSR adaptations that the user can apply: · to opportunities GUI user interface (GUI) of the learning environment. Manifests

Educational Resources
Fig.4.1. Architecture educational environmentØ accelerated – carried out according to one of the first two main

New ways of working with information
MM provides the opportunity to intensify and increase motivation for learning through the use of such new ways of working with audiovisual information as: “manipulated

Expanding the capabilities of illustrations
When using MM tools in education, the possibilities of illustrations significantly expand. Generally speaking, there are two main interpretations of the term “illustration”: image

Interactivity
MM is an extremely useful and fruitful educational technology, precisely due to its inherent qualities of interactivity, flexibility and integration of various types of educational information, and

Activation of trainees
The use of MM allows students to work on educational materials in different ways - to decide for themselves how to study the materials, how to use interactive features

Intensification of learning processes
The use of MM can have a positive impact on several aspects of the educational process. 1. MM can stimulate cognitive aspects of learning such as perception and awareness

Glossary for module 2
Avatar is a special class of VRML objects, a three-dimensional image of a character acting in virtual world. In some Internet applications, avatars act as virtual representations.

Conclusion
MM technologies are constantly evolving as computer and network equipment is improved, peripherals audio visualization and techniques for effectively presenting increasingly larger volumes

List of abbreviations
AOM – automated training module; AOS (KOS) – automated (computer) training system; ASTC – automated system test control; AUK (KUK

Bibliography
1. Grigoriev S.G., Grinshkun V.V. Multimedia in education. – http://www.ido.edu.ru/open/mm/. 2. Kretchman D.L., Pushkov A.I. DIY multimedia. – SPb.: BHV – St. Petersburg,