Consolidated manipulation of virtual and real objects

We propose a manipulation environment with virtual and real objects by providing a consolidated manipulation manner for both objects. This approach assists the user and improves the task performance of object manipulation (e.g., speed and accuracy). A limited kinds of physical laws are selected and simulated for virtual objects; at the same time, limitations on the physical laws for real objects are introduced. Accordingly, we reached a compromise between the physical laws that operate on both virtual and real objects. The proposed environment enables a user to manipulate virtual and real objects in the same manner by expecting the same response according to the same physical laws. In the environment, real objects are treated as `substantial' as they are, without using insubstantial images taken by cameras or graphical images generated from geometric shape representations of objects. It is possible to bring a real object into a virtual world on demand, according to the user's irregular and sudden requirements, without using troublesome procedures to reconstruct the object shapes. The configuration of an object manipulation environment using a `magnetic metaphor' is shown as an example. This environment is suitable for manipulation in a combined virtual/real world.