Interactive simulation of a deformable hand for haptic rendering

Operations such as object manipulation and palpation rely on the fine perception of contact forces, both in time and space. Haptic simulation of grasping, with the rendering of contact forces resulting from the manipulation of virtual objects, requires realistic yet interactive models of hand mechanics. This paper presents a model for interactive simulation of the skeletal and elastic properties of a human hand, allowing haptic grasping of virtual objects with soft finger contact. The novel aspects of the model consist of a simple technique to couple skeletal and elastic elements, an efficient dynamics solver in the presence of joints and contact constraints, and an algorithm that connects the simulation to a haptic device.