Haptic Systems
CMPUT 605

Course Information

General Information

Lecture Hours:	Weekly meeting Friday from 10h00 to 12h00: Starting September 19
Lecture Room:	Skype
Lab Room:	AMMI Laboratory
Instructor:	Prof. Pierre Boulanger
Office:	Athabasca Hall 411
Phone:	780-709-1260
Email:	pierreb@cs.ualberta.ca
Course Text:	Weekly readings
Course Web Site:	http://www.cs.ualberta.ca/~pierreb/Haptics-2008.html

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Course Information

CMPUT605: Haptic Systems

Graduate-level introduction to the field of haptics, focusing on teleoperated and virtual environments that are displayed through the sense of touch. Topics covered include human haptic sensing and control, design of haptic interfaces (tactile and force), haptics for teleoperation, haptic rendering and modeling of virtual environments, control and stability issues, and medical applications such as tele-surgery and surgical simulation. Course work includes homework, programming assignments, reading and discussion of research papers, presentations, and a final project. Appropriate for students with interests in robotics, virtual reality, or computer-integrated surgical systems.

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Course Objectives

A student who successfully completes this course should be able to:

• Identify the primary mechanisms of human haptic sensing
• List and understand a number of methods for sensing the position of and actuating haptic interfaces
• Describe the differences between grounded and ungrounded force feedback
• Identify the salient features of a haptic device design
• List a a variety of different types of haptic interfaces
• Haptically render a rigid surface
• Haptically render several different surface properties
• Know how to model a deformable surface
• Create a simple dynamic haptic virtual environment
• Describe and implement basic telemanipulation controllers
• Understand the causes of instability in virtual reality and teleoperation systems
• Design a psychophysical or perceptual test
• Describe a number of applications of haptic feedback
• Read, evaluate, and critique research papers
• Identify a well posed research question and investigate it
• Design and deliver a research presentation
• Write a scholarly research paper

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Course Requirements

30%	Homework	There will be regular homework assignments
15%	Class Participation	Students must keep up with readings and actively participate at the weekly meeting
40%	Project	There will be one team-based semester project, culminating in a final report and a haptics "open-house" where the project will be demonstrated. Progress and check points before the final due date will count toward the final grade.
15%	Presentation	The presentation is a detailed lecture on a topic related to haptics, done individually. The lecturer also prepares a short discussion or group activity for after the talk.

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Grading Policy

• Your course grade is determined from the total points you receive from homework assignments, course project, presentations, and class participation.
• Homework assignments are due at the beginning of class. You have two free late days to be used at any time in the course, except on presentations and projects. After that, no late assignments will be accepted.
• You are responsible for all information given in class verbally and/or in writing. Any information about the course on the web may be replaced by the information given in class.
• Cooperative efforts at understanding the material and the assignments of the course are encouraged. However, you are required to submit only work that you have completed individually (except for the team project). Submitting any work that is not the result of a student's own effort is considered cheating.