Poster: Updating an obsolete trainer using passive haptics and pressure sensors

Training systems based on hardware mockups provide physical fidelity at the expense of flexibility. Maintaining concurrency in these mock-ups can be time-consuming and expensive. Over the past several years, Southwest Research Institute (SwRI^reg) has worked with the United States Air Force to develop a generalized approach which uses purely virtual assets to provide training in a flexible environment in which configuration changes are made solely through software modifications. While a purely virtual approach has proven effective and flexible, it lacks the realistic interactions supported by the physical constraints present in mock-ups. This paper describes a novel approach to provide a more realistic interface while also extending the useful life of a training system which might otherwise be rendered obsolete. The technique combines virtual and real assets to provide haptic feedback. The interaction technique uses precision finger tracking combined with tactile sensors attached to the finger tip.