The word "haptization" means, "making it possible to touch". A typical example is the usage of haptic display devices in order to touch computer-generated images. Therefore, it is often called "haptization of information".
Previous work on haptization is primarily focused on the haptization of volume data produced by a CT scanner, physical simulator, etc. However, these previous systems were only haptizations of static or simulated information, and could not be readily put to use in a real environment that changes dynamically.
SmartTool is a new technology of haptization composed of real-time sensing devices and a haptic display. The sensor receives stimuli that change dynamically in a real environment, and displays the information to the user through haptic sensation. Therefore, SmartTool makes it possible to "touch" the dynamic information of real environments in real-time.
Conventional tools and sensors typically display sensor information visually, requiring the user to constantly monitor the display, interpret information, and take action based on these interpretations, which can be very inaccurate, especially in stressful situations. Redundancy through audio can improve perception, but is still often insufficient because the interpretation process remains.
SmartTool can assist by sensing the real environment and displaying that information through haptic sensation by generating force from a haptic display. This force is not only a display method that alleviates the interpretation of tactile information, but also supports the action of the user.
A quintessential application of this system is surgery. In a surgical operation, a doctor uses many kinds of tools to incise body tissue, like scalpels, scissors, etc.
If the doctor uses a scalpel enhanced with SmartTool technology, the real-time sensor on the scalpel would sense what kind of tissue the edge of the scalpel is touching, and inform the user through haptic sensation. In the situation that the scalpel is in the proximity of vital tissues such as arteries or a pulsing heart, the SmartTool protects them from damage by sensing them and generating a repulsive force that can be naturally interpreted by a surgeon as "virtually hard".
Here, we demonstrate the SmartTool system as a means for "touching" the interface between two liquids. It is usually impossible to feel the interface between two liquids, just because they are liquids. However, using SmartTool technology, the haptic sensation of the liquid interface is obtained from the tool's sensor and transmitted to the user directly in real-time, providing an intuitive way to both analyze and act upon the interface.
(source: www.star.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/projects/SmartTools/concept.html)