FLINT, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--When people think of virtual reality, the assumption is that it can only be experienced through two senses: vision and sound. In the new Kettering University Haptics Lab, however, students work in virtual worlds that incorporate touch as well.
Ana Tomboulian, who is originally from Denton, Texas, is among the few undergraduates in the country working to develop a haptics tool that will teach beginning language learners how to write in Hindi. Tomboulian is a sophomore with a dual major in Computer Science and Computer Engineering at Kettering University in Michigan.
Haptics technology allows a user to ‘touch’ virtual objects by using forces, vibrations or movements of the user in simulations. It has a wide variety of practical uses in various industries, including automotive and medical fields and it even has gaming and entertainment applications.
“The stylus is used like a pen, and with forces from the machine it is attached to, it will guide the user's hand in the correct path to write a specified letter,” she said. “The cursor is on the screen and moves with the stylus as the user traces the letter along the lined path on the screen. There is a lot of resistance if you choose to move your hand in the wrong direction.”
Kettering’s Haptics Systems course is one of only a handful of similar courses in haptics offered in universities across the country. Part of the draw of the discipline is its versatility.
“Many students are interested in haptics,” said Dr. Mehrdad Zadeh, assistant professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “It gives them something to stay with that’s versatile. Kettering is developing something that is tailored to many different majors,” he added.
To read more on Kettering’s new Haptics Lab, visit: http://www.kettering.edu/visitors/storydetail.jsp?storynum=3124
About Kettering University
Kettering University, in Flint, Mich., is a nationally-ranked STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and Business university and a national leader in combining a rigorous academic environment with rich opportunities for experiential learning and cooperative education and a focus on the learning experience of the individual student. Kettering’s 1,900 undergraduates and 1,000 graduate students choose from 14 undergraduate and 9 master’s degrees, plus more than 50 minors, specialties, concentrations and courses of study. Some of Kettering’s fastest growing academic majors are Bioinformatics, Chemical Engineering and BioChemistry. For more information, visit www.kettering.edu.