An haptic interface design to virtual environments

In this paper, we describe a haptic interface with two degrees of freedom that we have designed and built, it allows an operator to act on a virtual environment consisting mainly of the 3D representation of ROB3i, which is a 5-axis manipulator arm dedicated in particular, for assembly tasks. To increase the feeling of immersion in this virtual universe, this interface responds to strict time constraints. The mechanical structure of this device is characterized by its simplicity, low cost and good performance, including the sensation of force feedback as soon as the limits of the joints (real arm) are reached.