Promoting research and clinical use of haptic feedback in virtual environments

Converging evidence demonstrates the important role played by haptic feedback in virtual reality-based rehabilitation. Unfortunately many of the available haptic systems for research and intervention are rather costly, rendering them inaccessible for use in the typical clinical facility. We present a versatile and easy-to-use software package, based on an off-the-shelf force feedback joystick. We propose that this tool may be used for a wide array of research and clinical applications. Two studies, involving different populations and different applications of the system, are presented in order to demonstrate its usability for haptic research. The first study investigates the role of haptic information in maze solving by intact individuals, while the second study tests the usability of haptic maps as a mobility aid for children who are blind.