Left: Early prototype with vertical motor arrangement; Right: Final Prototype with horizontal motor arrangement.
Skills
modular design, mechatronic design, 3D printing
Collaborators
Violet Yinuo Han, David Lindlbauer, Alexandra Ion
Project Description
We present Parametric Haptics, customizable and versatile haptic patches that are lightweight, reconfigurable, and can be integrated as wearables or into objects. (a) Users can customize their own haptic patches with a software design tool we provide. (b) One linear pull can actuate many tactors, producing haptic sensations on a large area of the skin. Our approach can, e. g., be integrated (c) into existing worn objects, or (d) designed for VR experiences.
The wearable design interface is a modular design composed of horizontal motor mounts to accommodate a single motor. Motors are spaced 13 millimeters apart (the width of the motor), placed side-by-side to maximize the number of actuators per surface area. Wearable patches are attached to rails that mate to complementary slots at the base of each motor mount. This modular design allows for the seamless exchange of patches of various sizes and tactor densities, as well as to easily adapt the form factor for placement on different areas of the body (i.e., forearm, back, etc).
We use Ruimou 6V 100 RPM DC gear motors, which are wirelessly controlled by a HiLetgo ESP32 Bluetooth microcontroller through DRV8833 motor drivers and powered by a 7.4V LiPo battery. Each motor features a pulley system. We use Power Pro Spectra Fiber, which is fed through a guidance hole at the base of the motor mount and attaches to a hook on the patch pull string.
For our demonstration, we implement a simple open-loop control strategy. We linearly actuate the motors by varying the direction of the rotation, the Pulse-Width-Modulation (PWM), and the duration and frequency of the pulses, allowing us to approximate control over the displacement of the tactors and velocity of actuation to achieve a diverse set of tactile sensations. Control strategies can be adapted to elicit desired tactile feedback and incorporate refined control with appropriate hardware consideration
Publications
1. Han, V. Y., Boadi-Agyemang, A., Lin, Y., Lindlbauer, D., and Ion, A. (2023). Parametric Haptics: Versatile
Geometry-based Tactile Feedback Devices. In The 35th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and
Technology (UIST). (Link)
Geometry-based Tactile Feedback Devices. In The 35th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and
Technology (UIST). (Link)
