Systems and Methods for Simulations Utilizing a Virtual Coupling

A simulation system, comprising:

• a sensor and a computing device, the computing device comprising a processor and a memory, the memory embodying program components that configure the computing device to:
• use the sensor to track a position of a plurality of points of a physical object;
• store values for each of a first plurality of nodes in the memory based on the tracked position of the points;
• define a second plurality of nodes in memory, the values of the second plurality of nodes and a set of object constraints representing a simulated object corresponding to the physical object, each one of the second plurality of nodes corresponding to one of the first plurality of nodes;
• determine if a value of at least one of the first plurality of nodes results in a violation of a boundary defined in the simulation;
• if the value of at least one of the first plurality of nodes results in a violation of the boundary:
• set an updated value for one or more of the second plurality of nodes so that the values of the second plurality of nodes do not violate the boundary and meet the set of object constraints,
• access a virtual coupling between the first and second plurality of nodes, and
• determine a feedback parameter based on the virtual coupling and a difference between a value in the second plurality of nodes and a corresponding value in the first plurality of nodes;
• if no values of the first plurality of nodes violate the boundary:
• set an updated value of each of the plurality of second nodes to the value of the corresponding node of the first plurality of nodes.

A non-transitory computer storage medium embodying program code executable by a computing system, the program code comprising:

• program code that configures the computing system to access data representing a position of a plurality of points of a physical object;
• program code that configures the computing system to store values of a first plurality of nodes in memory based on tracking the position of the plurality of points;
• program code that configures the computing system to access data identifying a simulation boundary;
• program code that configures the computing system to selectively update values of a second plurality of nodes using values of corresponding nodes of the first plurality of nodes while ensuring that the simulation boundary is not violated, wherein selectively updating comprises setting at least one value of the second plurality of nodes to a value different from the value of the corresponding one of the first plurality of nodes if the value of the corresponding node of the first plurality of nodes results in a violation of the boundary;
• program code that configures the computing system to determine a feedback parameter using a virtual coupling if a value of the second plurality of nodes differs from the corresponding value of a node of the first plurality of nodes;
• and
• program code that configures the computing system to provide simulation output based on the feedback parameter.