Reported July 2010

WHAT IS HAPTICS? Haptics is the term for incorporating touch into digital or robotic environments. It may be used to program resistance into a joystick for gaming, or to add a touch sensation to gloves used in a virtual reality simulation. This way, when manipulating a virtual object, a user is able to be certain when it collides with another object, and not forced to rely on what he or she sees. Compare what it is like to walk normally and when your foot has fallen asleep. Similar to the benefit of having full feeling in your feet, adding touch to a virtual environment makes interactions less awkward and more life-like.

TO AVOID REPETITIVE STRESS INJURIES: Paragraph

• Raise or lower chairs to avoid typing with your wrists at an odd angle.
• Place your keyboard at a level slightly lower than normal desk height.
• Use a footrest to avoid dangling your legs.
• While typing, wrists should not be bent up, down or to the side. The knuckles, wrist and top of the forearm should form a straight line.
• Elbows should form a 90-degree angle while hanging at the sides from the shoulders, and the shoulders should remain relaxed in a lowered position while typing.
• Do not use wrist supports or rests while you are typing, only when pausing to rest.
• Take frequent breaks from repetitive tasks to give your body a rest.

The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society contributed to the information contained in the TV portion of this report.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Prof. William Provancher
(801) 581-4119
wil@mech.utah.edu

Lois Smith
Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
Santa Monica, CA 90406
(310) 394-1811
http://www.hfes.org
lois@hfes.org

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