Hybrid elastic model for volumetric deformation in multi-modal virtual reality simulation

Abstract

As the field of the computer simulation technique has advanced, the computer simulation extends its domain, enlarges its scale, and improves its quality. Nowadays the haptic sense is as important as visual one to recognize a virtual object. While the mechanisms of two senses are highly different, only one model simulates for the visual sense, processing shape deformation, and for the haptic sense, computing the force feedback. Even if the separate models coexist for simulating those two senses, the connections among those separate models are not clearly defined. In this paper, we propose a new computer simulation scheme as a hybrid model for real-time haptic rendering and volumetric deformation. We define the embedded mass-spring model and its mapping functions to haptic s-chain model as well as to graphic mesh model. The experimental results demonstrate the potential for virtual reality simulation in medical education and training.