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Regarding the lack of tactile feedback, you make an excellent point. Luckily, there's been some innovation in that area. Immersion makes a touchscreen that vibrates vertically when one touches "buttons". Apparently, to the user, it feels like tactile feedback. Adapting such a technology would go a long way towards the more widespread adoption of touchscreens (which, even you will probably admit, are more useful than touch-less screens).

Regarding Sugar, on the other hand, you are dead wrong. The Desktop Metaphor is an ugly relic of the Xerox offices of the 70s. Subjecting millions of third-world children to "desktops" and WIMPs would be nightmarish, especially when there is a better alternative. It is so incredibly inhumane that I don't even know where to begin listing arguments and references against it. So, I'll give you just two. First, everyone should read The Humane Interface . Seriously. Second, read the Sugar Human Interface Guidelines, to see all the reasoning behind it. After that, come back if you still want to subjects these people to "grown-up" interfaces.

i recall a half-life 1 mod had a special driver added for a force feedback mouse system...

this is the people the driver was from iirc:
http://www.immersion.com/

Actually, there is a technology that addresses the feedback issue by vibrating the screen to emulate pressing a button. Thus, even a keyboard wouldn't be necessary.

It is in fact the Immersion Cyberforce.

Compare the picture in the article to the Cyberforce at the Immersion website.

But I don't see any actual products, just products by other companies that licensed their technology. I guess if they made a piece of hardware that Logitech just sticks in their joystick that would be one thing, but their website is pretty vague about what Immersion itself actually creates. Theres a lot of talk about licensing, and I did find a snippet about some middleware, but thats about it. I'm not saying that they don't have their own products, but their site doesn't seem to indicate whether or not they actually develop the hardware or technology, thus my original question.

Take a look at Immersion's web site: http://www.immersion.com./ Sure doesn't look like a patent troll to me. They have a number of product lines in addition to gaming, including medical (through their own subsidiary), automotive and cell phones.

Small company?

Have a look at "key partners" just to the left of the Forbes.com square.

In addition to manikin 'robots' there are also VR simulators that are used for training. On the whole these are not as effective but are good for some procedures. The major manufacturer of these is Immersion.

Tactile feedback... Staring to my iFeel mouse from logitech which is declared as "dead"...

http://www.sharkygames.com/hardware/reviews/contro ller/ifeel/

That "thing" died(!) because of lack of drivers and Immersion's lack of focus on gaming developers.

Worse, it was in fact excellent for desktop experience. They shifted focus to gaming which was non existaTactile feedback... Staring to my iFeel mouse from logitech which is declared as "dead"...

http://www.sharkygames.com/hardware/reviews/contro ller/ifeel/

That "thing" died (!) because of lack of drivers and Immersion's lack of focus on gaming developers.

Worse, it was excellent for desktop experience. They shifted their focus to gaming which was non existent (except UT2xxx) so desktop stuff was kind of given up too.

The company they purchased the amazing technology (its more than vibrating) is
http://www.immersion.com/gaming/products/touchware /TWGaming.php

As Logitech giant gave up, maybe another company would license it I thought. Apple didn't. That was the exact thing needed for that mouse. Maybe their new "power" fashion, I don't know since iFeel mouse uses 500mA unlike other mouses.

Let me tell a funny thing, the SDK/Driver is included on every OS X since 10.2.8. Logitech still uses immersion stuff on other products.

The mouse would rock though :) A missed chance.

nt (except UT2xxx) so desktop stuff was kind of given up too.

The company they purchased the amazing technology (its more than vibrating) is
http://www.immersion.com/gaming/products/touchware /TWGaming.php

As Logitech giant gave up, maybe another company would license it I thought. Apple didn't. That was the exact thing needed for that mouse. Maybe their new "power" freakness, I don't know since iFeel mouse uses 500mA unlike other mouses.

Let me tell a funny thing, the SDK/Driver is included on every OS X since 10.2.8. Logitech still uses immersion stuff on other products.

Mouse would rock though :) A missed chance.

Tactile feedback... Staring to my iFeel mouse from logitech which is declared as "dead"...

http://www.sharkygames.com/hardware/reviews/contro ller/ifeel/

That "thing" died(!) because of lack of drivers and Immersion's lack of focus on gaming developers.

Worse, it was in fact excellent for desktop experience. They shifted focus to gaming which was non existaTactile feedback... Staring to my iFeel mouse from logitech which is declared as "dead"...

http://www.sharkygames.com/hardware/reviews/contro ller/ifeel/

That "thing" died (!) because of lack of drivers and Immersion's lack of focus on gaming developers.

Worse, it was excellent for desktop experience. They shifted their focus to gaming which was non existent (except UT2xxx) so desktop stuff was kind of given up too.

The company they purchased the amazing technology (its more than vibrating) is
http://www.immersion.com/gaming/products/touchware /TWGaming.php

As Logitech giant gave up, maybe another company would license it I thought. Apple didn't. That was the exact thing needed for that mouse. Maybe their new "power" fashion, I don't know since iFeel mouse uses 500mA unlike other mouses.

Let me tell a funny thing, the SDK/Driver is included on every OS X since 10.2.8. Logitech still uses immersion stuff on other products.

The mouse would rock though :) A missed chance.

nt (except UT2xxx) so desktop stuff was kind of given up too.

The company they purchased the amazing technology (its more than vibrating) is
http://www.immersion.com/gaming/products/touchware /TWGaming.php

As Logitech giant gave up, maybe another company would license it I thought. Apple didn't. That was the exact thing needed for that mouse. Maybe their new "power" freakness, I don't know since iFeel mouse uses 500mA unlike other mouses.

Let me tell a funny thing, the SDK/Driver is included on every OS X since 10.2.8. Logitech still uses immersion stuff on other products.

Mouse would rock though :) A missed chance.

I think, due to the ./ effect, they've tried to make some of their php pages static but, they missed. Take a look at Their products page In any case, its a CVS thing. Note the index.php then the ----- later ;)

An article on InformIT.com looks at the current state of haptic technologies: "In the consumer realm, two companies dominate the field in the creation of tactile I/O devices: Immersion Corporation and SensAble Technologies. Right now, each seems interested in consolidating a position in the marketplace.

The first is the haptic glove line from Immersion Corp. At my old office we had a Sensable Phantom, which was somewhat neat in a "that's completely useless" sort of way, but this one really excites me. If the market for these grew and the price came down, I think it would be a great breakthrough for games and other simulations in particular. Imagine playing Black & White with one of these!

The second is an entire new field, combining bioinformatics and computing closer than ever. Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) is a burgeoning field, with a lot of research being done at universities such as Duke. I'm sure you've all heard of things such as the rhesus monkey controlling a robot arm via neurosensors embedded in its brain, for instance. There are also less intrusive methods available utilising EEG, such as the headbands from IBVA, cheesy as they may be. Obviously, though, these latter technologies don't have the same potential quality as their intrusive counterports.

And a third I thought of while writing this is Nintendo. Really. Their DS system has a lot of innovative features, what with its built in touchpad and microphone, and lack of mouse and keyboard, which means "traditional" methods are out of the question. Who knows what they're planning with their Revolution system? If it's something in the same vein, I think it will be a great boon for HCI. Of course, some of these could turn out to be flukes, but simply having someone with the exposure and resources of Nintendo (and their third parties) so actively involved in experimental input methods is very exciting.

• TOPS/CVM
• Immersion Haptic Workstation
• Utah Dextrous Hand Master
• Green Man

Force feedback medical simulators are nothing new.

See Here for an existing (and selling) product.

by HT Medical (now Immersion Corporation) and Plattsburgh State University?

Check out the following links:

Barco for your projection monitors, mirrors, and rigging equipment. Be prepared to pay $100,000 for a powerwall, and upwards of $1M for a full out CAVE. You may balk at the pricetag, although that's the market value... If you want to try designing and installing one yourself, by all means try... Just don't fool yourself regarding the cost of rigging, purchasing high-quality mirrors, architectural design costs, and purchasing high refresh rate projection monitors (e.g. 100+ Hz projectors). You're talking about industry solutions, so expect to pay industry prices.

Stereographics for your active shutter stereogoggle systems. $3,000 per pair of goggles (they are the best on the market, by the way). So, for a theatre setup, be prepared to spend $30,000 to $60,000 on goggles, or more.

Immersion for your haptics (gloves and such). They start at $20,000 per glove, and range up to $250,000 for a complete two-handed 6-degrees-of-freedom force-feedback system (e.g. telerobotics, telesurgery, and so forth).

After that, look towards OpenGL applications. Java3D can wrap around OpenGL, so Java3D is good too. VRML pretty much died, so don't worry too much about Cosmo Player or derivatives. You might want to check out Sense8, which is a pretty good all-purpose CAVE and VR appication programing environment. It has a number of modules, including WorldUp (for getting your hardware up and running), WorldToolKit (for designing your CAVE applications), and World2World (for connection your CAVE to others). I think licenses run around $50K per module, although I might be wrong... I know that Sense8 has had some internal restructuring within the past few years, so they might have restructured their licensing program.

After that, it's mostly a matter of somebody on your team learning how to program OpenGL or Java3D really, really well.

The design of this building came from the cutting up of several Fender Stratocaster guitars. Although I don't see the resemblance much in the finished product. :)

My company did the structural steel portion of this project and let me tell you it's amazing. The building was litterally a finished handbuilt model on a desk, then digitized into a computer using a device similar to this. Much of the design work was then done with Catia. I thought I new 3D when I started this project this pushed the limits of our knowledge, workstations and server storage way beyond. When we got ahold of the models we developed the connections and members in 3D and finally onto shop drawings using AutoCAD.

When visiting the museum a couple years ago we got the back stage tour. You would not believe the amount of computer and sound horse power in that place. They stuck servers rooms where ever there was space and nice setup's too.

Probably one of the neato things we learned was about one of the drywallers. You see we were walking through all those back hallways and kept noticing amazing artwork drawn or painted just on the walls. Many face portraits of Hendrix. One of us asked "Is this hallway public access?", to which our guide answered "No." So then we asked what was up with all this expensive looking artwork. He told us Paul Allen was touring the project during construction and noticed the same thing. He asked who was going around making pencil sketches all over the walls of his building. They figured out that it was this one drywall guys and Paul asked for him to come and see him. Paul told him to go tell his boss he just quit, then to come back and get the details on his new job for more artwork! Can you imagine?! "Honey, I'm home! I got a raise!"

For any of you who actually know something or two about computer assisted surgery, this shouldn't come as a surprise at all. Medical doctors often use virtual-reality based surgical simulators to practice surgeries.

For an example of how medicine and video games intersect, check out Immersion Corporation for a run down of modern 3D haptics (input for computer systems other than keyboards and mice). Their medical products page gives a nice overview of modern haptic devices and applications, including endoscopes and laparoscope simulators.

Then, wonder over to the games products page, and notice which game pads and controllers use their technology. You might also be interested in noting that there are over 250 game titles which support their force-feedback gaming utilities, including Black & White, Star Wars Rogue Squadron 3D, Quake, Half Life and Madden NFL 2000.

For any of you who actually know something or two about computer assisted surgery, this shouldn't come as a surprise at all. Medical doctors often use virtual-reality based surgical simulators to practice surgeries.

For an example of how medicine and video games intersect, check out Immersion Corporation for a run down of modern 3D haptics (input for computer systems other than keyboards and mice). Their medical products page gives a nice overview of modern haptic devices and applications, including endoscopes and laparoscope simulators.

Then, wonder over to the games products page, and notice which game pads and controllers use their technology. You might also be interested in noting that there are over 250 game titles which support their force-feedback gaming utilities, including Black & White, Star Wars Rogue Squadron 3D, Quake, Half Life and Madden NFL 2000.

For any of you who actually know something or two about computer assisted surgery, this shouldn't come as a surprise at all. Medical doctors often use virtual-reality based surgical simulators to practice surgeries.

For an example of how medicine and video games intersect, check out Immersion Corporation for a run down of modern 3D haptics (input for computer systems other than keyboards and mice). Their medical products page gives a nice overview of modern haptic devices and applications, including endoscopes and laparoscope simulators.

Then, wonder over to the games products page, and notice which game pads and controllers use their technology. You might also be interested in noting that there are over 250 game titles which support their force-feedback gaming utilities, including Black & White, Star Wars Rogue Squadron 3D, Quake, Half Life and Madden NFL 2000.

For any of you who actually know something or two about computer assisted surgery, this shouldn't come as a surprise at all. Medical doctors often use virtual-reality based surgical simulators to practice surgeries.

For an example of how medicine and video games intersect, check out Immersion Corporation for a run down of modern 3D haptics (input for computer systems other than keyboards and mice). Their medical products page gives a nice overview of modern haptic devices and applications, including endoscopes and laparoscope simulators.

Then, wonder over to the games products page, and notice which game pads and controllers use their technology. You might also be interested in noting that there are over 250 game titles which support their force-feedback gaming utilities, including Black & White, Star Wars Rogue Squadron 3D, Quake, Half Life and Madden NFL 2000.

There are simulators just for this purpose.

Ok guys, these games are becoming scarily beautiful and realistic...now where is my virtual reality? Hell, even something as simple as the original Doom series (or even better, Doom Legacy) in fully immersive 3D would be a nice start.

Lawnmower Man? I want that. Come on, it must be trivial now!

Try:
StereoQuake for the stereovisualization code.
Stereographics for the goggle systems.
Barco for the monitor.
Immersion for the gloves and haptic devices.
Windows NT/2000, Irix, and Solaris support most all of this equipment.

Additional applications and systems can be found at Sense8, Fakespace, and Mechdyne.

Have fun... (I use to work as an "information technologies associate" setting up this equipment for a major research universities... you can find your Lawnmower Man style VR equipment in the nuclear engineer and genetic engineering laboratories of research universities.... "Digital Media Laboratory" is another moniker for it....)

Way back when, I had the mixed blessing of working in sufficiently advanced enough laboratories, that I got certified as a systems engineer on Windows NT operating systems. So, I happen to be certified in this area of work, and know something about the process by which one makes console machines. Work I was doing included overhauling Windows to make thin client email stations at our university, which were actually quite similar to console gaming machines. One of the major differences is that thin clients email stations typically use network protocols and network file systems, whereas consoles use compact disk protocols and compact disk file systems. (Ethernet versus Sneakernet)

Anyhow, you have to realize that 'mod' is perhaps a poor choice of words in regards to how one would probably go about making a homebrew X-Box. I would suggest using the term 'lockdown'. In priciple, and in practice, the only thing that really needs to be done is the following:

1. Set up a gaming machine at home. Try using a pizza box or laptop.

2. Install drivers for your gaming controls. Control pads, voice recognition, video drivers, compact disk drivers, et al. Some good links to get started:

Sense8 - The WorldToolKit has the best device driver support that I've seen.
Immersion - Good starting point for haptics, game controllers, etc.
Voip-Calculator gets you started on voice over internet protocol.
Nero - gets you started on CD File System layouts.
Altiris - gets you started on image pushing.

3. Design your filesystem.

4. Get the basic configuration working such that it plays an off-the-shelf XBox game.

5. Make a backup image of your gaming station.

6. Delete all unnecessary files, remove all unnecessary subsystems. Lockdown the system until it does nothing other than run the game on the CD when you put it into the tray.

6. Make backup images of your station as needed.

7. When done, remove unnecessary hardware (floppy drive, keyboard, etc).

8. Push image from server onto new consoles with similar configuration as (7).

Now then, you may be asking 'Homebrew'? This sounds like a major operation! This is a going to cost a fortune! Well, yes and no. Yes, M$ is a for-profit company, which seeks to make money. Yes, if you went through this process, you could probably start-up a company which makes it's own console boxes which are XBox compatible. No, this isn't open-source and freeware technology. Yes, you could probably assemble a homebrew XBox by using these links, this process, a Windows 2000 operating system, and PC parts.

The benefit: You know enough to design games and accessories for the XBox market. Do something like make a stereoscopic VR hack of Halo, utilizing Immersion gloves, and CrystalEyes goggles. Submit the concept to M$, become a business partner, and sell immersive visualization systems to XBox consumers, or something.

Perhaps the blind could use vibration feedback in the iFeel mouse to be informed of shot accuracy. Immersion has already added distinct vibrations for many events in Unreal Tournament.

This isn't entirely true. Immersion and Logitech produced the Wingman Force Feedback Mousewhich allowed true force feedback over 2-dimensions, with plugins to (then) current games. There also exists a full hand haptic device, though not for games (way too expensive) would rock the world at pong (i guess it would be more like handball with that..)

This isn't entirely true. Immersion and Logitech produced the Wingman Force Feedback Mousewhich allowed true force feedback over 2-dimensions, with plugins to (then) current games. There also exists a full hand haptic device, though not for games (way too expensive) would rock the world at pong (i guess it would be more like handball with that..)

Yup, Black & White is what made me buy a Logitech iFeel mouse, and I've got to say it's pretty good (Logitech licenced Immersion technology for this).

While the Windows desktop feedback gets boring very quickly, and their "Businessware" software (feedback for Word & Excel) is just plain annoying, in games it does actually work really well. The Half-Life/Team Fortress/Counterstrike plugin is pretty good, and Black & White definitely benefits plus you get a few extra mission-quests.

Just have to mention one of the Immersion-enabled quests in B&W (my favorite one), it's on first level:- You find a hippie standing outside his hut next to a ring of magic mushrooms and a boiling cauldron (ready to get his brew on), and to help him you have to pick which one is "buzziest" by holding your cursor over the them and feeling how strong the vibes are through the mouse! A great and funny use of feedback technology if ever there was one :)

A list of supported games can be found here and game download mods (including Serious Sam 1 & 2, No-one Lives Forever, and Unreal Tournament, but no Max Payne unfortunately) are here

Stef

Yup, Black & White is what made me buy a Logitech iFeel mouse, and I've got to say it's pretty good (Logitech licenced Immersion technology for this).

While the Windows desktop feedback gets boring very quickly, and their "Businessware" software (feedback for Word & Excel) is just plain annoying, in games it does actually work really well. The Half-Life/Team Fortress/Counterstrike plugin is pretty good, and Black & White definitely benefits plus you get a few extra mission-quests.

Just have to mention one of the Immersion-enabled quests in B&W (my favorite one), it's on first level:- You find a hippie standing outside his hut next to a ring of magic mushrooms and a boiling cauldron (ready to get his brew on), and to help him you have to pick which one is "buzziest" by holding your cursor over the them and feeling how strong the vibes are through the mouse! A great and funny use of feedback technology if ever there was one :)

A list of supported games can be found here and game download mods (including Serious Sam 1 & 2, No-one Lives Forever, and Unreal Tournament, but no Max Payne unfortunately) are here

Stef

For one, I don't see anyone performing a medical procedure, even as simple as inserting a needle, while trying to hold this thing at proper angle a the same time. Also, can you imagine trying the contorting needed should a doctor want to take look at some part of the body from the side. That said, here is a suggestion.

Instead of using the "HUD" approach, why not project the image on the body from an independent source while being able to leave the probe on a secured arm. First, data acquisition should not be very hard. Attach the ultrasound probe to an arm that can measure the rotation of joints (such as these), or use four receivers and two transmitters attached to the probe (just like GPS) to determine the position and orientation of the probe. Quick linear transform on the acquired image and now you know what to project. This part I am not so clear about.

You could either use overhead projectors pointed down, or something smaller. Another idea I have to reduce cost here is something as simple at using a small laser pointer with a mirror that has two axis of rotation. Since the image is black and white anyway, all you need to do is determine the timing for each pixel and turn the pointer on and off to draw a picture. Depending on how fast you can turn the laser pointer and off you should be able to achieve much greater resolution (talking out of my ass, but I hope) Again, mount it on an arm or use triangulation to determine where you projecting.

I hope this post provokes more suggestions on how to improve on the concept, but this really does look like a technology demonstrator rather than something practical. Imagine what you could do if you could take X-rays, MRIs, PET scans, and real-time ultrasound to merge them all together and project all that on information on the patient. BTW, considering from watching TLC it looks like most doctors operate with a whole bunch of crap attached to their head anyway, 3D goggles to really "see" inside the body wouldn't be too much of a hassle for them.

it looks a little clunky, but the CyberGlove with its four levels (prices) has force AND tactile feedback. Immersion also has an SDK for use with it... the demo (RM format) has a great example of how it works

it looks a little clunky, but the CyberGlove with its four levels (prices) has force AND tactile feedback. Immersion also has an SDK for use with it... the demo (RM format) has a great example of how it works

I've been using the LogiTech iFeel Mouse in Unreal Tournament and Black & White with good success. In my opinion it does add realism to UT and does seem to make it easier to determine quickly what's happening. In B&W it's mostly helpful in determining when you've actually done something, since it can be hard to tell sometimes. Source code is included on these pages.

I've been using the LogiTech iFeel Mouse in Unreal Tournament and Black & White with good success. In my opinion it does add realism to UT and does seem to make it easier to determine quickly what's happening. In B&W it's mostly helpful in determining when you've actually done something, since it can be hard to tell sometimes. Source code is included on these pages.

The company which licenses the force feedback mouse technology is Immersion.