A Multimodal Haptic Interface for Simultaneous Softness and Thermal Modulation
Joshua Brown, Fernando Bello, Lynette Jones
AI 速读 基于摘要
作者提出并评估了一种基于颗粒阻塞与冷热水热传递的原型触觉显示器，可同时改变刚度和温度。
cs.RO · cs.HC · eess.SY
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Haptic interactions, such as touching an object in virtual reality, involve detecting a plethora of sensations through the skin. Whilst tactile displays exist to simulate and manipulate all of these cues individually, little progress has been made constructing devices that can control multiple cues simultaneously. This paper presents a tactile display technology that offers both softness and temperature change. A prototype display, based on particle jamming and the thermal transfer of heated and cooled water, is evaluated in terms of its ability to change both stiffness and temperature. Mechanical evaluations demonstrate controllable stiffness increase of 300%, whilst thermal characterisation showed strong surface uniformity and a range of achievable temperatures from 10°C up to 50°C, with closed-loop control maintaining a 0.2°C error from a setpoint. This work advances the design of multimodal tactile displays with applications to perceptual research, medical simulation, and affective haptics.
Teleoperating a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) in complex underwater environments presents unique challenges. Dynamic, three dimensional obstacles and unseen water currents pose real risks to expensive robotic hardware in environments in which recovery can be next to impossible. This paper explores the cognitive effects of haptic feedback to improve vehicle safety in such environments. An in-water study is analysed with a ROV exposed to controlled cross-currents, with environmental information presented via a soft and vibrating haptic touchpad. Results demonstrate that while encountering an unseen cross-current significantly increases an operator's physical and temporal demand, the introduction of haptic feedback mitigates these factors and improves self-assessed performance. Interestingly, the haptic condition also produced the highest levels of mental demand and operator frustration. Despite this increased mental workload, operators drove the ROV significantly faster when receiving haptic cues compared to the current-only condition, indicating a higher level of user confidence. Ultimately, these findings suggest that while haptic feedback may initially require more cognitive processing to interpret unseen hazards, it successfully enhances operator awareness and promotes more confident navigation in hazardous environments.