US 5,629,594 · Granted 1997-05-13
The Force Feedback Glove That Let You Feel Virtual Reality
Imagine putting on a special glove that doesn't just show you a virtual world on a screen — it actually pushes back on your hand so you can FEEL what you're touching in that digital world. This patent describes the technology that makes that possible: clever springs and sensors that track where your arm is and generate realistic forces that mimic touching solid objects.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a system that combines position-tracking sensors with mechanical force-generating arms to create tactile feedback in virtual environments. What's protected here is the specific kinematic structure of a six-axis manipulator equipped with constant-force springs for gravity compensation, allowing the arm to simulate realistic contact forces based on where the user's hand is positioned in virtual space.
Why it matters
This patent was filed during the early 1990s race to make virtual reality feel truly immersive. While most VR in that era was purely visual, this invention tackled the harder problem: making users physically FEEL their virtual interactions. That capability unlocked applications in training, surgery simulation, and teleoperation — domains where feeling forces matters as much as seeing them. Cybernet Systems was betting that touch would be the missing sense that made VR practical.
Real-world use
When a surgeon trains on a virtual patient using a haptic simulator, or when a robot operator feels resistance through a control arm while manipulating objects on the other side of the world, they're experiencing descendants of this force-feedback technology.
Original USPTO abstract
A system and method for providing a tactile virtual reality to a user is present. The position and orientation of the user is utilized to generate a virtual reality force field. Forces are in turn generated on the user as a function of this force field. A six-axis manipulator is presented for providing a user interface to such a system. This manipulator provides a unique kinematic structure with two constant force springs which provide gravity compensation so that the manipulator effectively floats.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 5,629,594
- Filing date
- 1995-10-16
- Grant date
- 1997-05-13
- Assignee
- Cybernet Systems Corporation
- Inventor(s)
- JACOBUS; CHARLES J., RIGGS; ALAN J., TAYLOR; MARK J.
- CPC class
- G06F3/016
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