Using haptic vector fields for animation motion control

We are developing paradigms and algorithms for browsing and editing families of animation using a haptic force-feedback device called a Phantom. These techniques may be generalized to navigation of any high degree-of-freedom system from a lower degree-of-freedom control space, with applications to telerobotics and simulation of virtual humans. We believe that modeling the animation configuration space coupled with the highly interactive nature of the haptic device provides one with useful and intuitive means of control. We have implemented our ideas in a system for the manipulation of animation motion capture data; in particular, anthropomorphic figures with 57 degrees of freedom are controlled by the user in real time. We treat trajectories, which encode animation, as first-class objects; haptic manipulation of these trajectories results in change to the animation. We have several haptic editing modes in which these trajectories are either haptically deformed or performed by the user with expressive control subject to dynamic haptic constraints.