HapWRAP: Soft Growing Wearable Haptic Device | IEEE Conference Publication | IEEE Xplore

HapWRAP: Soft Growing Wearable Haptic Device


Abstract:

Soft robotics and pneumatic actuation present opportunities for lightweight wearable haptic devices that provide distributed touch feedback to the skin. Ideally, such dev...Show More

Abstract:

Soft robotics and pneumatic actuation present opportunities for lightweight wearable haptic devices that provide distributed touch feedback to the skin. Ideally, such devices would be easily donned and doffed, since permanent coverage of a large area of the skin is undesirable. Here we present the design and evaluation of a concept device called HapWRAP: a growing haptic device constructed from flexible low density polyethylene. Controlled air flow through tubes and pouches allows HapWRAP to grow out of a compact housing unit and provide a combination of directional and force feedback to a user. When activated, HapWRAP grows up and around the forearm; its loops form a temporary sleeve. After growth, pneumatic actuators inflate and deflate to stimulate mechanoreceptors in the skin at distinguishable locations. This paper describes the design and manufacturing of HapWRAP, reports its performance metrics, and tests its suitability as a haptic feedback device. Participants were able to interpret force and direction cues from HapWRAP with 92.5% accuracy. These findings suggest that HapWRAP can be successfully used for applications where both force and direction cues are necessary.
Date of Conference: 21-25 May 2018
Date Added to IEEE Xplore: 13 September 2018
ISBN Information:
Electronic ISSN: 2577-087X
Conference Location: Brisbane, QLD, Australia

References

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