Soft pneumatic fingertip actuator incorporating a dual air chamber to generate multi-mode simultaneous tactile feedback

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A complete set of diverse haptic feedbacks is essential for a highly realistic and immersive virtual environment. In this sense, a multi-mode haptic interface that simultaneously generates multiple kinds of haptic signals is highly desirable. In this paper, we propose a new silicone-made pneumatically controlled fingertip actuator to render pressure and vibrotactile feedback concurrently to offer a realistic and effective haptic sensation. A new silicone-based stacked dual-layer air chamber was designed. The volume of the chambers is controlled by pneumatic valves with compressed air tanks. The top/upper air chamber renders vibration feedback, whereas the bottom/lower air chamber renders pressure feedback. The proposed silicone-made fingertip actuator is designed so that it can be easily worn at the fingertips. To demonstrate the potential of the system, a virtual environment for rendering three different types of haptic textures was implemented. Extensive performance evaluation and user studies were carried out to demonstrate the proposed actuator’s effectiveness compared to an actuator with single vibrotactile feedback.

OriginalsprogEngelsk
Artikelnummer175
TidsskriftApplied Sciences (Switzerland)
Vol/bind12
Udgave nummer1
DOI
StatusUdgivet - jan. 2022
Eksternt udgivetJa

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© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

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