Virtual Simulator Having an Eddy Current Brake for Providing Haptic Feedback

Abstract

A virtual simulator includes a movable user object, an eddy current brake actuator, and a controller. The eddy current brake actuator includes an elongated conductor that is slidingly positioned within at least one magnet. The elongated conductor is coupled to the user object and movement of the user object causes the conductor to move through the at least one magnet which imparts a transient drag force on the conductor. The controller is electrically coupled to the user interface and to the at least one magnet. The controller monitors the velocity of the user object and controls a magnetic field of the at least one magnet to vary the drag force on the conductor in order to provide haptic feedback to a user that relates to force applied to the user object. The virtual simulator may include a display and be configured to perform a medical simulation procedure.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.