Virtual work space for assembly

To implement a human interface for efficiently modeling 3-D shapes on a computer, a virtual works space enabling direct manipulation of a shape model on a computer similar to manipulating a real 3-D object must be constructed. In this virtual work space, the tactile and force sensations arising while the object is manipulated must be fed back to the person. We previously proposed the space interface device SPIDAR capable of force feedback to the person's fingertips. However, only one finger could be used in SPIDAR, so operations where the object is held were not possible. In this paper, we extend SPIDAR and propose the space interface device SPIDAR II to implement a virtual work space where operations involving holding and moving objects are possible. This device measures the position of the minimum of the two fingers needed to manipulate objects and can provide tactile feedback to the fingertips while an object is being held. A prototype device is built and a virtual work space is constructed where holding and moving objects is possible. Further, an experiment is conducted to investigate the effect of tactile feedback to work operability in this virtual work space, and its effectiveness is confirmed.