Many professions require dexterous manipulation and sustained hands-on training. In medicine, for example, simulators such as animals, cadavers, or phantoms have long provided a convenient means to learn through trial. However, these training resources are expensive, not always available, may raise ethical concerns, and offer only a limited range of study cases. These constraints restrict trainees’ opportunities for hands-on practice during their curriculum. Cost-effective solutions that enable practice on any study case, at any time, and as often as needed are required.

For more than a decade, virtual reality simulators have been developed to address these challenges. Such systems can be configured on demand to simulate an unlimited number of study cases, with difficulty levels tailored to a specific learning curve. Over time, virtual reality simulators have become increasingly realistic, first in 2D and more recently in fully immersive 3D environments. When combined with haptic devices, the addition of force feedback enables realistic interaction, which is known to improve skill development and retention in advanced medical tasks. Flight simulators for pilot training offer another widespread example: they allow safe exposure to complex scenarios while enabling objective performance assessment, and have become an essential prerequisite before operating a real aircraft.

The fourth edition of the Research Topic Haptic Training Simulation aims to gather high-quality papers on the novel design, development, and evaluation of efficient haptic simulators from pedagogical, technological, and usage standpoints. The simulators considered in this Topic are designed for hands-on training in any application domain. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• haptic interfaces
• haptic rendering
• computer graphics
• virtual/augmented/mixed reality
• motion capture/analysis
• cognitive performance
• specific types of training e.g. laparoscopic training.

Details for Authors:

Design contributions, generic control, design methods, user and performance evaluation, original research and review manuscripts are welcome.

Are you interested in contributing a manuscript to this Research Topic?

Haptic Training Simulation, Volume IV