MPEG-7 Description of Haptic Applications Using HAML

The continuous evolution of computer haptics, as well as the emergence of a wide range of haptic interfaces has recently boosted the haptics domain. Even though efficient tools that support the developer´s work exist, little attention is paid to the reuse and compatibility of haptic application constituents. In response to these issues, we propose an XML-based description language, namely Haptic Application Meta Language - HAML. HAML is designed to provide a technology-neutral description of haptic models. It contains ergonomic requirements and specifications for haptic hardware and software interactions. The envisioned goal is to allow for the creation of plug-and-play environments in which a wide array of supported haptic devices can be used in a multitude of virtual environments, with the compatibility issues being handled by automated engines instead of programmatically by the user. As per implementation, MPEG-7 standard has been used to instantiate HAML schema through the use of description schemes (DS). Our preliminary experimentation demonstrates the suitability of HAML for solving the compatibility issue