This paper focuses on the study and the experimentation of a glove interface for robotics and virtual reality applications. The system can acquire the phalanxes position and force of an operator during the execution of a grasp. We show how it is possible to use and integrate this data in order to permit the user to interact with a synthetic world. In particular the system we designed can reprod...

Grasp planning is an interesting issue in studies that dedicated efforts to investigate tactile sensors. This study investigated the physical force interaction between a tactile pressure sensor and a particular object. It also characterized object slipping during gripping operations and presented secure regripping of an object. Acceleration force was analyzed using an accelerometer sensor to es...

This paper describes initial investigation of ideas for developing and refining current haptic parameters and interfaces for use in the textiles and related industries. A simple force-feedback mouse has been programmed to represent some of the more obvious tactile issues in fabrics. An evaluation study has been made of five different fabrics, and numerical values have been assessed for tactile ...

—Tactile and force feedback are widely exploited in VR and VE applications as a complement or substitution of the visual or auditory presentation of information. We have successfully developed several tactile display devices that can be incorporated with VR systems or with other human-machine systems. This paper presents four case studies. The principles involved in these devices as well as the...

In this paper we present a novel system for tactile actuation in stylus-based musical interactions. The proposed controller aims to support rhythmical musical performance. The system builds on resistive force feedback, which is achieved through a brakeaugmented ball pen stylus on a sticky touch-sensitive surface. Along the device itself, we present musical interaction principles that are enable...

In this paper, we present algorithms to estimate external contact forces and joint torques using only skin, i.e. distributed tactile sensors. To deal with gaps between the tactile sensors (taxels), we use interpolation techniques. The application of these interpolation techniques allows us to estimate contact forces and joint torques without the need for expensive force-torque sensors. Validati...

Graphical user interfaces greatly enhanced usability of computer systems over older text-based systems. Unfortunately, blind users gain very little from the benefits of these graphical user interfaces (GUIs). Past research has looked at communicating graphical information to blind computer users through other channels such as haptic or auditory senses. In this report, I provide an overview of r...

A full tactile sensing suite for the nger segments and palm of the Utah/MIT Dextrous Hand is presented. The rubber-based sensors employ capaci-tance sensing and oating electrodes in the top layer, and contain local electronics for excitation, ltering, analog-to-digital conversion, and serial communication. Experimental results on static, dynamic, and spatial properties are presented. Use of the...

Evolution has endowed vertebrates with the remarkable tactile ability to explore the world through the perception of physical force. Yet the sense of touch remains one of the least well understood senses at the cellular and molecular level. Vertebrates specializing in tactile perception can highlight general principles of mechanotransduction. Here, we review cellular and molecular adaptations t...

Tactile spatial acuity is enhanced in blindness, according to several studies, but the cause of this enhancement has been controversial. Two competing hypotheses are the tactile experience hypothesis (reliance on the sense of touch drives tactile-acuity enhancement) and the visual deprivation hypothesis (the absence of vision itself drives tactile-acuity enhancement). Here, we performed experim...