3. Introduction
Haptic technology, or haptics, is a tactile feedback technology which takes
advantage of the sense of touch by applying forces, vibrations, or motions to the
user.
Haptics are enabled by actuators that apply forces to the skin for touch feedback,
and controllers. The actuator provides mechanical motion in response to an
electrical stimulus.
Haptic technology does for the sense of touch what computer graphics does for
vision.
4. Why it is called Haptic ?
The word haptic, from the Greek word haptikos, means pertaining to the sense of
touch and comes from the Greek verb haptesthai, meaning to contact or to touch.
Touch can result in many different physiological reactions.
Of the five senses, touch is the most proficient and the only one capable of
simultaneous input and output.
5. Generation of haptic
First generation – use of electromagnetic technologies which produce a limited range of
sensations
Second generation - touch-coordinate specific responses allowing the haptic effects to
be localized to the position on a screen or touch panel, rather than the whole device
Third generation - delivers both touch-coordinate specific responses and customizable
haptic effects
Fourth generation - pressure sensitivity, i.e. how hard you press on a flat surface can
affect the response
7. Haptic Information
Basically the haptic information provided by the system is the Combination of :
Tactile Information
It refers the information acquired by the sensors which are actually connected to the skin of
the human body.
Kinesthetic Information
It refers to the information acquired through the sensors in the joints.
8. Virtual reality
Haptic technology allows creating computer-generated Haptic Virtual Objects (HVOs),
which can be touched and manipulated with one's hands or body.
HVOs provide a rich combination of cutaneous and kinesthetic stimulation through a
bidirectional haptic (touch) information flow between HVOs and human users.
HVOs can have many of the real-object mechanical properties such as weight and shape
of objects, object elasticity, object's surface texture (e.g., smooth or rough), etc.
9. HVO creation
HVOs are created through force fields (or "force-feedback"), generated by computer-
controlled mechanical systems called Haptic Interfaces (HIs).
An HI delivers the force-feedback to a person's hands or body. This reproduces major
aspects of what actually happens when touching real, everyday objects.
10. How it works (example)
A person uses the manipulandum to "poke" an HVO (dashed surface).
HI's sensors measure the current position of the manipulandum's tip.
A Control Computer (CC) monitors this position and detects the “collision" of the manipulandum's tip with the HVO.
CC calculates a simulated contact force from a model (e.g., equations) of the real interaction's physics.
The CC activates the HI's actuators (e.g., electric motors) which, in combination with HI mechanics, produce an actual physical
force that is applied into the manipulandum's tip.
This force physically realizes the simulated contact force.
Different manipulandums can be used to interact with HVOs, e.g., tools resembling thimbles (for fingertip insertion), scissors (e.g.,
for surgical simulation), hand exoskeletons, etc.
11. Haptic Rendering
The software-controlled Haptic Virtual Objects(HVO)creation process is called
Haptic Rendering (HR).
The Control Computer (CC)executes HR events (collision detection, force
calculation and generation when necessary) at a high rate(one kHz or more).
12. Haptic Rendering
Haptic rendering consists of three main blocks.
Collision-detection algorithms
Force-response algorithms
Control algorithms
13. Types of Haptic devices
Virtual reality/ Telerobotics based devices
Exoskeletons and stationary devices
Gloves and wearable devices
Point sources and specific task devices
Locomotion interfaces
Feedback devices
Force feedback devices
Tactile display devices
14. Phantom omni® haptic device
Provides a 3D touch to the virtual objects.
Six degree-of-freedom positional sensing.
When the user move his finger, then he could really feel the shape and size
of the virtual 3D object that has been already programmed.
Virtual 3D space in which the phantom operates is called haptic scene.
15. CyberGrasp
With the CyberGrasp force feedback system, users are able to feel the size and shape of
computer-generated 3D objects in a simulated virtual world.
Force: 12 N per finger (max, continuous)
Interface: Ethernet
Allows 4 dof for each finger
Adapted to different size of the fingers
16. Maglev Haptics
Consists of two bowl shape objects, powered by electromagnets.
A joystick floats around with a tracking sensor that relays its position back to a Linux
Fedora-powered computer.
Users could interact with 3D shapes using the joysticks.
Moving the shapes back and forth between each hand, getting feedback of the collision, and a feel
for the volume and weight of the objects.
17. Commercial applications
Tactile electronic displays
Teleoperators and simulators - Medical simulators and flight simulators for pilot
training.
Video games - commonly used in arcade games, especially racing video games
Personal computers - Tactile Touchpad
Mobile devices - vibration response to touch
Virtual reality - 3D modeling and design
18. Research
Medicine
Useful for training in minimally invasive procedures & for performing remote surgery.
Detection of medical problems via touch
To provide essential feedback from a prosthetic limb to its wearer.
Investigating fundamental issues and determining effectiveness for rehabilitation
19. Research
Robotics
Convincing artificial humanoid (The Shadow Project)
NASA's humanoid robots, or robonauts
Virtual reality through touch
Arts and design
Virtual arts, such as sound synthesis or graphic design and animation.
Real-time sound or images
Physical modelling synthesis
20. Future applications
Holographic interaction
The feedback allows the user to interact with a hologram and receive tactile responses as if
the holographic object were real.
Future medical applications
Telepresence surgery.
Noise-based devices, such as randomly vibrating insoles, could also ameliorate age-
related impairments in balance control.
"spider-sense" bodysuit, equipped with ultrasonic sensors and haptic feedback systems,
which alerts the wearer of incoming threats; allowing them to respond to attackers even
when blindfolded.
21. Advantages
Working time is reduced.
Communication is centered through touch and the digital world can behave like the
real world.
Increase confidence in medical field.
With haptic hardware and software designer can feel the result as if he/she were
handling physical objects.
22. Disadvantages
Higher cost.
Large weight & size.
From point of algorithm, output is not saturate.
The precision of touch require a lots of advance design.
23. Conclusion
Touch plays a huge role in the way we perceive our surroundings and also how we
interact with them.
Haptics technologies have come a long way in bringing this technology into reality.
Currently it is limited to consumers.
Future generations of mobile devices and game console accessories will
implement more haptic feedback.
Increasing applications of haptics the cost of the haptic devices will drop in future.
This technology brings us one step closer to virtual world.
