HaptiChem: Haptic and visual support in interactions with the microscopic world

Abstract

Haptic technologies provide physical sensations in the interaction with a computing system, by exploiting the human sense of touch and by applying forces, vibrations, or motions to the user hands or body. Considering their features, they can be a useful tool in life-science teaching, especially when molecules are involved. For this purpose, a framework composed of an haptic device and a visual interface for molecular exploration has been developed to simulate molecular and intermolecular interactions . Furthermore, this work evaluates the visual and haptic tool for molecular exploration in a didactic context, performing tests and interviews with students. The final aim is to properly develop the features of the tool, in order to make it suitable for the introduction in chemistry education. Preliminary results show positive and effective responses and learning gains from the tasks. It has also been noticed that the use of such an innovative instrument raises the interest of students in the learning process, which is one of the main benefits of the haptic device. © 2014 Springer International Publishing.