Touch Lab

Virtual Reality and Haptic Feedback

Virtual Reality (VR) uses computer or computer-aided technology to simulate an environment for the individual. Unlike older forms of interfaces such as TV or mouse control, VR places the user inside an experience. Instead of receiving visual feedback from a single direction, the user receives visual, audio, and haptic feedback from multiple directions.

Our VR Research Areas:

• Innovative Haptic Feedback in VR - Developing advanced tactile feedback mechanisms for immersive virtual experiences
• VR-based Medical and Training Simulations - Creating realistic simulation environments for medical training and surgical procedures
• Computer Vision Applications in VR - Integrating visual recognition and tracking technologies for enhanced VR interactions

Haptics Research

Haptics pertains to the sensing and manipulation using touch between human and machine, machine and machine, or human and human in virtual, teleoperated, or real environments. Haptics is an interdisciplinary research field studying sensing and manipulation through touch.

Touch Lab Research Goals:

The Touch Lab at IIT Madras (established June 2005) focuses on:

• Understanding human haptics through multidisciplinary investigations involving skin biomechanics, neurophysiology, and psychophysics
• Developing machine haptics for advanced feedback systems
• Enhancing human-machine interactions in real, virtual, and teleoperated environments

Spin-off Companies and Research Foundation

Spin-off Companies:

• Merkel Haptic Systems
• Ariano Instruments
• Abhipsta Technologies
• UDYAM Labs LLP

Research Opportunities

Open PhD Positions: TouchLab is actively seeking students interested in Virtual Reality and Haptics. We welcome candidates with:

• Bachelor's/Master's degree in Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Systems and Control, Mathematics, or Physics
• Strong interest in systems theory
• Exceptional embedded programming skills
• Experience in microcontroller programming, robotics, and practical electronics