A Study on Design and Analysis of Virtual Fixtures for Cutting in Training Environments

Abstract

The escalating use of share-controlled applications, virtual training environments and tele-manipulated devices has motivated the application of force-feedback assistance. In this paper, we present and compare a set of geometrically-based virtual fixtures that provide graphic and force-feedback assistance for path-following task. Two types of force fields (i.e. attractive and reactive) defined within the virtual fixtures were implemented. A preliminary study on these fixtures suggests improvements in performance when force cues are provided through these entities.