Haptic technology

About: Haptic technology is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 18818 publications have been published within this topic receiving 306713 citations. The topic is also known as: haptics & haptic media.

Haptic Identification by ELM-Controlled Uncertain Manipulator

Abstract: This paper presents an extreme learning machine (ELM)-based control scheme for uncertain robot manipulators to perform haptic identification. ELM is used to compensate for the unknown nonlinearity in the manipulator dynamics. The ELM enhanced controller ensures that the closed-loop controlled manipulator follows a specified reference model, in which the reference point as well as the feedforward force is adjusted after each trial for haptic identification of geometry and stiffness of an unknown object. A neural learning law is designed to ensure finite-time convergence of the neural weight learning, such that exact matching with the reference model can be achieved after the initial iteration. The usefulness of the proposed method is tested and demonstrated by extensive simulation studies.

High-Fidelity Bilateral Teleoperation Systems and the Effect of Multimodal Haptics

Abstract: In master-slave teleoperation applications that deal with a delicate and sensitive environment, it is important to provide haptic feedback of slave/environment interactions to the user's hand as it improves task performance and teleoperation transparency (fidelity), which is the extent of telepresence of the remote environment available to the user through the master-slave system. For haptic teleoperation, in addition to a haptics-capable master interface, often one or more force sensors are also used, which warrant new bilateral control architectures while increasing the cost and the complexity of the teleoperation system. In this paper, we investigate the added benefits of using force sensors that measure hand/master and slave/environment interactions and of utilizing local feedback loops on the teleoperation transparency. We compare the two-channel and the four-channel bilateral control systems in terms of stability and transparency, and study the stability and performance robustness of the four-channel method against nonidealities that arise during bilateral control implementation, which include master-slave communication latency and changes in the environment dynamics. The next issue addressed in the paper deals with the case where the master interface is not haptics capable, but the slave is equipped with a force sensor. In the context of robotics-assisted soft-tissue surgical applications, we explore through human factors experiments whether slave/environment force measurements can be of any help with regard to improving task performance. The last problem we study is whether slave/environment force information, with and without haptic capability in the master interface, can help improve outcomes under degraded visual conditions.

Haptic Control of a Mobile Robot: A User Study

Abstract: We address the problem of teleoperating a mobile robot using shared autonomy: an on-board controller performs obstacle avoidance while the operator uses the manipulandum of a haptic probe to designate the desired speed and rate of turn. Sensors on the robot are used to measure obstacle range information. We describe a strategy to convert such range information into forces, which are reflected to the operator's hand, via the haptic probe. This haptic information provides feedback to the operator in addition to imagery from a front-facing camera mounted on the mobile robot. Extensive experiments with a user population show that the added haptic feedback significantly improves operator performance in several ways (reduced collisions, increased minimum distance between the robot and obstacles) without a significant increase in navigation time.

Haptic button and haptic device using the same

Abstract: A haptic button providing various stimulations to a user according to a current application and a haptic device using the same are provided. The haptic button includes an electro-active polymer having a flat shape, a pair of electrodes contacting two sides of the electro-active polymer, an electric circuit applying a predetermined voltage to the pair of electrodes, and a sensor sensing a button input from a user, wherein stimulation provided from the electro-active polymer to the user is changed by changing a waveform of the voltage according to a current application status.

Virtual fixtures as tools to enhance operator performance in telepresence environments

Abstract: This paper introduces the notion of virtual fixtures for use in telepresence systems and presents an empirical study which demonstrates that such virtual fixtures can greatly enhance operator performance within remote environments. Just as tools and fixtures in the real world can enhance human performance by guiding manual operations, providing localizing references, and reducing the mental processing required to perform a task, virtual fixtures are computer generated percepts overlaid on top of the reflection of a remote workspace which can provide similar benefits. Like a ruler guiding a pencil in a real manipulation task, a virtual fixture overlaid on top of a remote workspace can act to reduce the mental processing required to perform a task, limit the workload of certain sensory modalities, and most of all allow precision and performance to exceed natural human abilities. Because such perceptual overlays are virtual constructions they can be diverse in modality, abstract in form, and custom tailored to individual task or user needs. This study investigates the potential of virtual fixtures by implementing simple combinations of haptic and auditory sensations as perceptual overlays during a standardized telemanipulation task.