Conceptual Design of a Haptic Interface for Structural Analysis Software

Design of civil engineering structures is done using models. These models are mathematical abstractions of real structures. During the modeling process we simplify structural behavior and scale the structure down to fathom it. In doing so, we quickly loose the sense of dimensions, displacements, and forces. For example, it becomes very hard to imagine a 2% drift of a six-story building. Furthermore, it is virtually impossible to sense the resistance of a structure, especially when some of its elements yield. Experienced engineers simply develop a feel for the structure...but how do they do this? It is as if they can touch the structure they are designing. The sense of touch is the only active sense we have. It allows us to learn about the world around us by active probing. The rest of our senses are simply passive. Out of the four passive senses, we use only vision to design and analyze structures. Why? The models we use simply defy any other sense. Even with the development of computers, we limited ourselves to developing only the visual means or representing the results of structural analyses. The term "scientific visualization" tells all. The limit on representing the structure using only vision is artificial. We need to break through this self-imposed barrier: we need a model we can touch. This can be done by making a virtual environment for modeling and analysis of structures which has a haptic as well as a visual user interface.