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A seven axis haptic device, called the Freedom-7, is described in relation to its application to surgical training. The generality of its concept makes it also relevant to most other haptic applications. The design rationale is driven by a long list of requirements since such a device is meant to interact with the human hand: uniform response, balanced inertial properties, static balancing, low inertia, high frequency response, high resolution, low friction, arbitrary reorientation, and low visual intrusion. Some basic performance figures are also reported.

Expressions describing the phase composition and interphase relations for a decomposable soil are derived by distinguishing between inert and decomposable fractions. A relationship between void volume changes and decomposition of the solid fraction, effectively a constitutive relationship, is derived and described by a single parameter. Key patterns of volumetric response to decomposition are highlighted. The decomposition-induced void change parameter is shown to be capable of interpreting the sometimes episodic process of volumetric strain in a decomposable soil-like material.

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