Touch the Untouchable

This prototype system employs a laser range finder to determine the distance to a given object. Users can feel the shape of the object in real time even though it exists inside a glass case.

In the real world, we routinely touch and perceive the properties of real objects in reachable areas, but many valuable, educational objects exist only in unreachable situations, such as museum showcases. This project provides a method for feeling untouchable objects through a haptic interface. 
 
In the SIGGRAPH Asia 2009 demonstration of the method, users press the interface onto a glass case that contains a Japanese doll. As they move the interface on the surface of the glass, users feel the reaction force from the doll. The reaction force is determined by the distance to the surface of the doll. When the magnification factor is changed, the object becomes larger or smaller, so users can feel details such as texture and detailed shapes. 

This system can be applied for education to understand many characteristics of valuable exhibits and for quality inspection of engineering products.

Hiroaki Yano 
Yuichi Miyamoto
Hiroo Iwata 
University of Tsukuba