9805823 Amato, Nancy M. Trinkle, Jeffrey, C. Texas A&M University CISE PostDoc: Real-Time Multibody Dynamics for Virtual Environment Training Systems with Haptic User Interfaces In USA today, about 5% of the industrial salary base is spent on training. Training systems based on virtual environments (VE) will enable workers to practice operating new equipment before it is installed, and perhaps more importantly, will allow the results of improper operation to be simulated without incurring the associated costs. The biggest deficiency in VE systems is their inability to animate the motions of bodies in contact. For example, a dropped wrench will usually either magically disappear from the virtual scene, or accelerate through all obstacles in its path. This project will develop fundamental technical results and algorithms needed to: (1) embed the physics of moving bodies into the underlying motion simulator, (2) allow two-way interaction between the user and the VE through a haptic device, (3) provide a system to help workers plan complex maintenance tasks, and (4) systematically analyze the effects of uncertainty in the parameters of the dynamic and geometric models of the VE. The postdoctoral researcher will participate in the high-level design of the VE training system, and will have primary responsibility for one or more of the system components. His/her expertise will enable the project to produce a higher-quality, more robust system.
