This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will build on Phase I results to take advantage of an exciting opportunity to revolutionize the way people interact with the machines they encounter in everyday life. Visual displays have progressed remarkably in past decades. Aircraft cockpits that used to have hundreds of gauges and dials now have just a few color displays that provide rich visual information that changes depending on the situation. Yet physical interfaces--knobs, buttons, sliders, etc.--remain as primitive as ever. Regardless of context, these interfaces always feel the same and can serve only a limited number of functions. Phase I results demonstrated the potential human factors benefits of Smart Instrument Controls with programmable feels-- operator performance improved, especially when visual attention was critical, such as during a driving simulation task. These systems also could simplify interfaces by reducing the number of separate controls. One control could operate several functions, each function having a distinctly separate "feel". Phase II will continue human factors studies and expand to include research into novel sensor and actuator technologies for Smart Instrument Controls in order to develop a technology that simplifies elaborate system interfaces while improving or maintaining operator performance.
Immersion Corporation proffers a man-machine interface technology that enhances an operator's experience and in many cases can improve performance by leveraging the underutilized sense of touch. These benefits have attracted companies
