The incorporation of the sense of touch (haptic sense) into virtual reality (VR) has considerable potential to enhance the realism of virtual environments and make VR accessible to blind people. This paper summarises a series of investigations into the haptic perception of texture and object size/angularity in VR, with two haptic devices. Guidelines for the creation of haptic environments for b...

[1] We report on laboratory experiments designed to illuminate grain-scale deformation mechanisms within fault gouge. We vary particle size distribution, grain and surface roughness, and gouge layer thickness to better understand how grain sliding, rolling, dilation, and compaction affect the strength and stability of granular fault gouge. The experiments employed the double direct shear testin...

Olfaction is ingrained into the fabric of our daily lives and constitutes an integral part perceptual reality. Within this reality, there are crossmodal interactions sensory expectations; understanding how olfaction interacts with other modalities crucial for augmenting interactive experiences more advanced multisensorial capabilities. This knowledge will eventually lead to better designs, enga...

Third molar teeth are causative factors of many oral pathologies. Lower third molars are the most often retained teeth and the origin of considerable pain. The aim of the study is a presentation of the morphology of third molars with incompletely formed apices on the basis of panoramic radiograms. The material comprised routine panoramic radiograms taken in the years 1996-2000. In the cases whe...

Geometric dimensioning and Tolerancing (GDT) constitutes the dominant approach for design and manufacture of mechanical parts that control inevitable dimensional and geometrical deviations within appropriate limits. The stack up of tolerances and their redistribution without hampering the functionality is very important for cost optimization. This paper presents a methodology that aims towards ...

Coarse aggregate shape (flat and elongated) and angularity are important issues in the highway industry. Elongated aggregates tend to break down during the asphalt emplacement process, or align themselves, resulting in anisotropic pavements. The use of angular aggregate results in a greater interlock and strength of the asphalt product. Measurement of particle shape is a tedious subjective proc...