PingJun Xia, António M. Lopes and Maria Teresa Restivo
Virtual reality (VR) for product assembly has been studied for more than 20 years but its practical application in industry is still very much in its infancy. Haptics is a new and…
Abstract
Purpose
Virtual reality (VR) for product assembly has been studied for more than 20 years but its practical application in industry is still very much in its infancy. Haptics is a new and important interaction method for VR and a strong and growing research area, however, it still remains a virtually unknown concept for industrial application.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper provides a comprehensive survey of VR and haptics for product assembly, from rigid parts to soft cables.
Findings
Some new ideas and research progresses in recent years are especially investigated. First the concepts and classifications of virtual assembly are introduced and the different virtual environment systems for product assembly are discussed. Then the major research groups, typical systems and major research issues are explored in detail, treating rigid parts and soft cables separately. Lastly, the barriers preventing successful application of virtual assembly are discussed and future research directions are also summarized.
Originality/value
The paper provides an overview and analysis of VR and haptics for product assembly, including both rigid parts and soft cables.
Details
Keywords
Pingjun Xia, António Mendes Lopes and Maria Teresa Restivo
The use of virtual reality for product assembly has been studied for more than 20 years; however its practical application in industry is still very much in its infancy. Haptics…
Abstract
Purpose
The use of virtual reality for product assembly has been studied for more than 20 years; however its practical application in industry is still very much in its infancy. Haptics is a new and important interaction method for virtual reality, and currently constitutes a strong and growing research area; however despite this, its application in industry still remains virtually unknown. This paper seeks to address this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents a comprehensive survey of the topics of virtual reality and haptics for product assembly, from rigid parts to soft cables, and investigates some new ideas and recent advances in the area. The survey work has been divided into two parts: addressing rigid parts and soft cables. The main focus of part two, the present work, concentrates on virtual reality and haptics for soft cable design and assembly.
Findings
In the first instance, the main research groups and typical systems are investigated, followed by extensive exploration of the major research issues. The latter can be reviewed from three perspectives: geometry modelling, physical modelling and haptics interaction. Finally, the barriers that prevent successful application of virtual assembly are also discussed, and the future research directions are summarized.
Originality/value
This paper presents a comprehensive survey of the topics of virtual reality and haptics for product assembly, from rigid parts to soft cables, and investigates some new ideas and recent advances in the area.