Bridging the HASM: An OWL ontology for modeling the information pathways in haptic interfaces software

Haptics technology has received enormous attention to enhance human computer interaction. The last decade has witnessed a rapid progress in haptic application software development due to the fact that the underlying technology has become mature and has opened up novel research areas. In an attempt to organize the path between cause and effect we envision a need for a standard for haptic application software modeling. In order for the software to better enhance the tactile information sensation, flow and perception and also make interaction between humans and haptics more efficient and natural, we need a formal representation of the haptics domain. This article proposes the use of HASM, a haptic applications software modeling ontology to formally model the haptics domain in order to be used during the specifications and design phases of developing software applications for haptic interfaces. The presented ontology captures the existing knowledge in haptics domain, using OWL, and defines the pathways that the haptic information follows between the human and the machine haptic system, using SWRL rules. The haptic ontology that has been developed will be used as a basis to design effective user interfaces and assist the development of software modeling for haptic devices. A case study is demonstrating how this haptic ontology can be used to design a software model that analyzes the perception of a haptic property of an object by interacting with a haptic device.

► We model the different information pathways between human and machine haptic system.
► A set of rules developed to provide a dynamic flow of haptic information.
► Case study developed for a haptic characteristic using instances and a simulation.
► Proof of HASM usefulness providing a practical tool in the haptic software design process.
► A rule based on simulation, describing how a surface with roughness can be designed.