Improving sketching by utilizing haptic feedback

Abstract

Sketching interfaces for PC's often make use of the mouse. This device, however, is not suitable for the creation of "good" gestures. This paper describes the use of a PHANToM device, a force feedback device, for making sketches on a computer. This device has a pen-like appearance and is therefore natural to use. The paper elaborates on algorithms for the use of the force feedback capabilities of the PHANToM device in a sketch interface. The algorithms for creating and modifying sketches will be discussed, together with the algorithms for feeding force back to the user.