[An evaluation of virtual waxing up system with haptic interface].

Purpose: The purpose of this experiment was to construct a system of waxing pattern using virtual reality in the odontological field. The success of operation with feedback on the maniphalanx sense of waxing is reported.

Methods: The constructed device was a system based on PHANToM DESKTOP (SensAble Technologies Inc.). This device includes six-degrees-of-freedom input and reproduction of the sense of touch by anti-power feedback. The software which controls this device enables four operations such as "Cutting down", "Piling up", "Melting", and "Finishing" to be applied to the virtual waxing pattern by virtual reality. Finally, the virtual waxing was examined by applying this system to a virtual abutment tooth.

Results: With six-degrees-of-freedom input and anti-power feedback, a virtual waxing and the designer's highly developed designs were successfully expressed regardless of the virtual space.

Conclusions: 1. The virtual waxing up could be done by six-degrees-of-freedom input with the stylus in a virtual space. 2. The time taken for all these numerical values of corresponding rate of volume, occlusal, mesio-distal and bucco-lingual views to reach 100+/-5%ranged from 50 to 75 minutes, with an average of 63 minutes. 3. The virtual wax improvement showed the tendency to trace the passage of first arranging the volume, and straightening the outlook on the occlusal view at the end. 4. This system, which provides an interface between man machines, six-degrees-of-freedom input and anti-power feedback, has much in common with the existing waxing up and crafting. The demand for special technologies by technical persons and engineers can be kept to a minimum and application of the method can be expanded into education and to objective evaluations.