A Haptic-Based Framework for Chemistry Education: Experiencing Molecular Interactions with Touch Author(s): Sara Comai, Davide Mazza Keywords: Haptic technology – Chemical education and teaching – Molecular interaction
Abstract:
The science of haptics has received a great attention in the last decade for data visualization and training. In particular haptics can be introduced as a novel technology for educational purposes. The usage of haptic technologies can greatly help to make the students feel sensations not directly experienceable and typically only reported as notions, sometimes also counter-intuitively, in textbooks. In this work, we present a haptically-enhanced system for the tactile exploration of molecules. After a brief description of the architecture of the developed system, the paper describes how it has been introduced in the usual didactic activity by providing a support for the comprehension of concepts typically explained only theoretically. Users feedbacks and impressions are reported as results of this innovation in teaching.
Imagine researchers using haptics to recognize molecules or molecular reactions.
Are the instances of recognition to be compared with other such instances?
How would you establish the boundaries for a “match?”
How would you communicate those boundaries to others?