3D input devices

Because 3D input devices are mainly used for special applications, they will not be described here in detail. Nevertheless, some devices will be reviewed briefly:

Spaceball

A device which provides three translational and three rotational degrees of freedom (DOFs). It can be used in CAD and robotic applications, for instance. Typical representatives are the SPACEMASTER and the SPACEMOUSE (see also section 3.4.4 ).

Data glove

The data glove is a glove which is equipped with a tracking sensor. The (unconstrained) movements of the user's hand in 3D space are sensed and used to control the application. Data gloves are most often used in VR applications. They might be equipped with tactile feedback capabilities, see the Teletact on page 2.2.4 .

Tracker

The tracker is very similar to the data glove, but instead of a glove it has to be held with the hand. Therefore, no feedback can be applied. The most popular one is the PolhemusTracker which is used for in VR applications. Both, data glove and tracker, are often used in combination with head-mounted displays (HMDs).

Joystring

See section 2.2.4 , page 2.2.4 for a discussion of the joystring.

Esprit Project 8579/MIAMI (Schomaker et al., '95)
Thu May 18 16:00:17 MET DST 1995