Scientists get a feel for research
	Touchy feely: the Haptic Workbench can help visualise complex structures
By Gregg Goldin* A revolutionary virtual reality device that allows users to "feel" objects in cyberspace has been developed by the Cooperative Research Centre for Advanced Computational Systems (ACSys). The Haptic Workbench - from the Greek 'to feel' - is designed to help visualise three-dimensional geological data. The project is the result of collaborations between ACSys and the Australian mining industry. The workbench user sits wearing 3D shutter glasses, holding a small pen-like tool attached to a robotic arm. When they move the tool, their actions are mimicked by a virtual tool seen in 3D. An introductory computer program to illustrate the workbench's capabilities displays a virtual ball of clay that can be moulded with this instrument. The feeling of the tool's contact with the clay ball is recreated by the robotic arm applying appropriate forces to the pen-like tool. "This is a powerful way to explore data because it allows various modes of interaction. Just like the action of picking up something in reality, it uses the natural way we work," Brian Corrie, of the ANU Department of Computer Science, said. Applications of the technology in mining are a current focus of the ACSys Virtual Environments team headed by CSIRO researcher Duncan Stevenson. The shape of ore bodies is often hard to visualise on the two-dimensional confines of paper, because they curve and fracture in many places. Using the Haptic Workbench, geologists can easily explore 3D computer generated models using a natural "hands in" interface. The conception of the project came about through an initial association with Western Mining Corporation and Fractal Graphics, a West Australian structural geology modelling company, and more recently, BHP Research. Other possible uses for the technology are in design, where virtual models can be moulded ready for direct computer-guided manufacture. In medicine, dangerous procedures such as inserting a needle into the spine can be practised. The exact feeling of needle resistance could be calibrated by experienced surgeons. The Department of Computer Science is working on molecular modelling programs for the John Curtin School of Medical Research. Researchers could then literally feel how complex molecules interact, such as a drug slotting into a receptor. The ACSys team searched the world for appropriate hardware. A visualisation bench with 3D glasses bought from the National University of Singapore was combined with the "PHANToM" robotic arm from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The robot employs wire belt drives to allow near instant feedback which is very smooth and realistic. The ACSys prototype is generating plenty of interest. The Design School of the University of Umea in Sweden has created a company, ReachIn Technologies, to jointly develop the technology with ACSys. In Australia, BHP Research is evaluating its potential for improving 3D seismic data interpretation and WMC is investigating its application to hard-rock - gold, copper, nickel and uranium - mining.