Importance

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Abstract

A virtual-reality system provides a full-body, digitally programmed, kinesthetic display in the form of a foot-haptic system incorporating a pair of footpads, one associated with each foot of a user, and a multi-axis electromechanical interface responsive to user position and orientation. A computer, in communication with the electromechanical interface, permits the user to interact with a virtual terrain, vertical features, or other users. In a preferred physical realization, the system includes three major components: a locomotion simulator, a ground plane 104, and a vertical feature emulator. A head-mounted display provides all visual clues. The system may be operated in a first mode of operation, wherein the user's feet and the footpads remain in constant contact with each other, or an alternative mode of operation, wherein the user makes and breaks contact with the footpads in a cyclical manner.

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First Claim