The Virtual Haptic Back

Haptics, which provides users with force and touch feedback, plays a key role in biomechanics research at Ohio University. Haptics gives a human user the sense of touch and force from virtual computer models. This provides an innovative tool for medical education wherein students can train in the difficult art of palpatory diagnosis using virtual reality as a supplement to practice with human subjects. John Howell, associate professor of biomedical sciences, and Robert Williams II, professor of mechanical engineering, use the Virtual Haptic Back to provide osteopathic medical students in training a simulation of the feel of the human back. Theirs is the first group to apply haptics and virtual reality technology to support research and medical student training in the field of osteopathic medicine. They are continuously refining the realism of their models based on the feedback of the medical students and practicing clinicians.