AN AGREEMENT has been signed between FCS Robotics and Virtalis awarding the exclusive distribution of the FCS HapticMASTER in the UK to Virtalis. Haptics bring the sense of touch into virtual environments.

David Clark, sales director at Virtalis, explained: “This distributorship represents the missing piece of the jigsaw of our force feedback products. The FCS HapticMASTER gives real industrial weight haptics and will provide our customers with the power to closely simulate the weight and force found in all manner of tasks. With a maximum force of 250 Newtons, the FCS HapticMASTER can be used for simulation, training and ergonomic analysis.”

The FCS HapticMASTER has been developed by FCS Robotics, a division of FCS Control Systems BV, one of the world's foremost manufacturers of flight controls simulation and motion platforms. The device is a force-controlled robot arm that can be given an arbitrary dynamic behaviour. Typical applications of the HapticMASTER are: rehabilitation, Virtual Reality, virtual design, surgical assistance, haptics research, dynamic force measurements, and medical training simulation.

Andrew Connell, technical director at Virtalis, commented: "Virtalis has over twelve years experience in the sphere of haptics, with the Firm concentrating its research on their integration with real time graphics. We have undertaken haptics development for organisations such as BAE Systems, UK MOD, BNFL and The Wolfson Foundation.