Bharti T Temkin

7098888, Aug 29, 2006

Apr 28, 2001

09/844881

Bharti Temkin - Ransom Canyon TX, US
Kirk Watson - Round Rock TX, US
Eric Acosta - Lubbock TX, US

Texas Tech University System - Lubbock TX

G09G 5/00

345156, 345 7

The present invention provides a virtual-haptic environment that can be used to advantage to simulate and teach surgical procedures. Computer haptics simulates human sense of touch is provides with visual stereoscopy that simulates our natural depth perception and feeling of touch. Integration of these two senses enhances sense of realism. Thus by coupling force-feedback (or haptic) devices with a stereoscopic display, results in the illusion of being “inside” a virtual world, by being able to “see” and “touch and feel” 3D virtual environment. The computer based (on a PC using NT operating system) present invention provides an inexpensive, easy-to-use technique for generating a stereoscopic-haptic environment that provides a realistic virtual touch and see environment and dynamically adding haptic characteristics.

20020005864, Jan 17, 2002

Apr 28, 2001

09/844635

Bharti Temkin - Ransom Canyon TX, US
Eric Acosta - Lubbock TX, US

Texas Tech University

G06F003/00

345/701000

Existing virtual environments for surgical training and preparation and other purposes can be improved beyond visual aspect by incorporation of haptics into virtual reality situations to enhance the sense of realism greatly. The invention, a graphics to haptic, G2H, virtual environment developer tool, which transforms graphical virtual environments (created or imported) to haptic virtual environments without programming.

6839663, Jan 4, 2005

Sep 29, 2000

09/677073

Bharti Temkin - Ransom Canyon TX, US
Jonathan R. Burgin - Elmendorf TX, US

Texas Tech University - Lubbock TX

G06F 1750
G06G 762

703 13, 703 20, 703 22, 31856811, 31856816, 31856817, 345419, 345424, 345184, 345173, 345177

Haptic rendering of three-dimensional soft bodied objects for virtual interactions implemented by forming a three dimensional occupancy map of voxels, forming the surface of and bounding an object, forming a multi-dimensional coordinate system, defining minimum and maximums distances of one voxel neighboring voxels defining multi-dimensional maximum offsets that an occupied point can maintain relative to its center, detecting when the minimums or maximums of distance and/or offsets are violated, and in response thereto adjusting to satisfy minimum and maximum for distance and offsets, and repeating the detecting and adjustment steps for the entire occupancy map until there are essentially no violations.