Design And Control Of Haptic Systems
Haptic Inertia Rendering In many physical human-robot interaction scenarios, such as haptic virtual environments for training and rehabilitation, it is desirable to carefully control the apparent inertia of a robot. Inertia compensation can be used to mitigate forces felt by the user during free-space motion, and rendering of additional inertia is desired for particular rehabilitation and training procedures. Our group in interested in developing theory that will allow simultaneously stable and accurate inertia rendering for force-feedback haptic devices. | ||
Deformable Surface Haptic Displays Many controllable tactile displays present the user with either variable mechanical properties or adjustable surface geometries, but controlling both simultaneously is challenging due to electromechanical complexity and the size/weight constraints of haptic applications. This research focuses on the design, manufacturing, control, and evaluation of a novel haptic display that achieves both variable stiffness and deformable geometry via air pressure and a technique called particle jamming. The surface of the device consists of a flat, deformable layer of hollow silicone cells filled with coffee grounds. It selectively solidifies in different regions when the air is vacuumed out of individual cells, jamming the coffee particles together. The silicone layer is clamped over a chamber with regulated air pressure. Different sequences of air pressure and vacuum level adjustment allow regions of the surface to display a small rigid lump, a large soft plane, and various other combinations of lump size and stiffness. We plan to integrate this tactile display with a cable-driven robotic platform that will provide additional kinesthetic feedback to create a more immersive encountered-type haptic interface. | ||
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