Browse Topic: Haptic / touch
Robotic manipulation remains one of the harder unsolved problems in automation engineering. Vision-based systems have matured considerably — object localization, pose estimation, and grasp planning from RGB-D data are now reliable enough for structured industrial environments. What vision cannot provide is contact information: whether a grasp is stable, whether a surface is beginning to slip, or how force is distributed across a fingertip during a hold. These signals are what close the control loop during manipulation, and without them, systems compensate through excessive grip force, conservative motion profiles, and large training datasets designed to paper over sensing uncertainty.
This paper investigates the use of full-body vibrotactile cueing to augment operator perception during swarm teleoperation tasks. Piloted simulations are conducted in a virtual reality (VR) flight simulation environment using a quadcopter swarm model and a nonlinear dynamic inversion (NDI) flight control architecture. A scaled version of the ADS-33 slalom Mission Task Element (MTE) is implemented to evaluate swarm formation maintenance and obstacle avoidance under four experimental conditions: Good Visual Environment (GVE), Degraded Visual Environment (DVE), and each of these conditions augmented with haptic feedback. Haptic cues are delivered through vibrotactile vests and sleeves to convey information on formation deformation and gate proximity. Experimental results involving human participants indicate that haptic feedback improves formation maintenance and increases operators’ situational awareness of follower drone positions without increasing perceived mental workload. While haptic cues provided modest assistance in gate localization, visual conditions remained the dominant factor influencing obstacle avoidance performance. Overall, the results indicate that full-body haptic feedback provides an effective modality for augmenting operator perception and supporting swarm supervision tasks, particularly in visually degraded environments.
Prior work demonstrated that acceleration washout in motion simulators produces decay-rate sensing ambiguity within the vestibular system, forcing pilots to rely on visual cues for control. While Pilot Induced Oscillation Ratings (PIORs) for flight and simulation have been matched using different sensing thresholds, a quantitative basis for the 50% reduction in the visual decay-rate threshold has remained elusive. This paper provides evidence that pilots perceive decay rate proprioceptively through stick force during both flight and simulation, rather than through vestibular or visual channels. The residues of the stick-force sensitivity transfer function reflect the amplification or attenuation of neighboring zeros and poles; when these residues fall outside the human's 30 dB tactile sensory window, the resulting decay rate becomes imperceptible. Modeling reveals that stabilization via the visual channel in simulators produces dominant mode characteristics - decay rates, frequencies, and residues - that diverge significantly from vestibular-stabilized flight. The Virtual Vestibular Cueing (VVC) technique is introduced to tune the visual channel using pseudo-vestibular rate cueing, optimally aligning the simulated dominant mode with flight-validated residues and decay rates. A preliminary fixed-base study demonstrates that VVC synchronizes performance and subjective ratings by restoring this tactile-vestibular harmony. This work establishes that handling qualities are fundamentally an Information Theory problem: Level 1 ratings occur when the residue-to-decay gradient is tuned to map the dominant mode's physical 'elbow' onto the human sensory window. This paper establishes that perceptual fidelity is not determined by the closed-loop vehicle residues, but by the force sensitivity residues. By identifying the stick-force channel as the superior conduit for this mapping, VVC allows designers to restore informational integrity in virtual environments across all axes of aircraft dynamics. VVC ensures that the visual channel supports a control strategy where the tactile feedback remains within the human sensory window, preventing the 'wrong reading' that leads to simulator-to-flight rating mismatches.
When it comes to haptic feedback, most technologies are limited to simple vibrations. But our skin is loaded with tiny sensors that detect pressure, vibration, stretching and more.
One of agricultural tractors most important aspects is operator comfort. In addition to working long hours, tractor operators may be at risk for health problems due to vibrations and mechanical shocks. The tactile vibrations of a tractor are a major consideration when choosing one for agricultural use. This project's mandate includes a study of tractor vibration control problems. It is essential to investigate the governing system in order to determine the cause of the problem. Evaluating the vibrations transmitted via the tractor and using the design of experiments (DOE) approach to lessen vibrations on particular tactile regions were the study's goals. There are several measures currently under investigation which can be used to reduce the vibrations caused by resonance in this paper, these include reducing the natural frequency so as to be able to avoid resonance with the second order engine frequency and the damping coefficient; this will ensure the amplitude of vibration at resonance becomes minimal. The tactile testing is done on the specific tactile places. The findings give an insight into the ways of reducing operator fatigue and improving the tractor ergonomics.
This paper focuses on the cabin sound quality refinement and the tactile vibration reduction during horn application in the electric vehicle. A loud cracking sound inside the cabin and higher accelerator pedal vibration are perceived while operating the horn. Sound diagnosis is carried out to find out the frequencies causing the cracking noise. Transfer path analysis is conducted to identify the nature of noise and the predominant path through which forces transfer. Based on finding from TPA, various recommendations are evaluated which reduced the noise to a certain extent. Operational Deflection Shape (ODS) is conducted on the horn mounting bracket and on the body to identify the component having higher deflection at the identified frequencies. Recommendations like DPDS improvement on the horn bracket and the body is assessed and the effect of each outcome is discussed. With all the recommendations proposed, the cabin noise levels are reduced by ~ 8 dB (A) and the accelerator pedal vibration levels are reduced by ~ 40%. Sound quality parameter which needs to be considered during the horn selection is explained. The modal criteria which must be taken into account during development phase to avoid the horn cracking noise and tactile vibration is also proposed.
Scientists have produced a new, powerful electricity-conducting material that could improve wearable technologies, including medical devices. The new technique uses hyaluronic acid applied directly to a gold-plated surface to create a thinner, more durable film, or polymer, used to conduct electricity in devices like biosensors. It could lead to major improvements in the function, cost, and usability of devices like touchscreens and wearable biosensors.
EPFL researchers have developed a customizable soft robotic system that uses compressed air to produce shape changes, vibrations, and other haptic, or tactile, feedback in a variety of configurations. The device holds significant promise for applications in virtual reality, physical therapy, and rehabilitation.
This paper investigates the use of multi-modal cueing through full-body haptic feedback to enhance pilot-vehicle system (PVS) performance, reduce mental workload (MWL), and increase situational awareness (SA) in both good and degraded visual environments (GVE/DVE). Piloted simulations were conducted using an H-60-like flight dynamics model in a virtual reality (VR) motion-based simulator, evaluating two ADS-33-like mission task elements (MTEs) – precision hover and slalom – under visual-only and combined visual and haptic feedback conditions in both GVE and DVE. The H-60 flight dynamics were augmented with a dynamic inversion (DI)- based stability augmentation system (SAS), implementing rate-command/attitude hold (RCAH) response type on the roll, pitch, and yaw axes and altitude hold response type on the vertical axis. The SAS was designed to achieve Level 1 handling qualities per ADS-33 standards. The full-body haptic cueing strategy leveraged an outer-loop DI control law, which provided vibrotactile feedback to cue desired roll, pitch, and yaw attitudes to the pilot. Roll cues were delivered via tactors mounted on the upper arms, pitch cues via tactors on the chest and back, and yaw cues via tactors on the calves. Eight test subjects participated in the piloted simulations, including three U.S. Navy test pilots and five subjects with different flying experiences. Results indicated that haptic feedback significantly improved hover performance, reducing MWL and enhancing SA, particularly in DVE. However, in the slalom task, predefined haptic guidance misaligned with pilots’ individual control strategies, leading to performance degradation. This finding highlights the need for pilot-specific adaptive haptic feedback to mitigate inconsistencies in dynamic maneuvering tasks.
This paper describes a combined visual and haptic localization experiment that addresses the area of multi-modal cueing. The aim of the present investigation is to characterize accuracy and precision of tactile cue-ing in the peri-personal space (PPS), the space around the body in which sensory information is perceived as meaningful (Ref. 1). Outcomes of the unimodal (visual and haptic) and multi-modal (combined visual-haptic) localizations are used to make predictions about the multimodal integrative phenomenon. In the localization experiment, participants are presented with visual, haptic, or multimodal target cues using the body-centered reference frame and are instructed to indicate the corresponding hypothetical target location in space using a mouse pointer in an open-loop feedback condition.
In addition to providing safety advantages, sound and vibration are being utilized to enhance the driver experience in Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs). There's growing interest and investment in using both interior and exterior sounds for pedestrian safety, driver awareness, and unique brand recognition. Several automakers are also using audio to simulate virtual gear shifting of automatic and manual transmissions in BEVs. According to several automotive industry articles and market research, the audio enhancements alone, without the vibration that drivers are accustomed to when operating combustion engine vehicles, are not sufficient to meet the engagement, excitement, and emotion that driving enthusiasts expect. In this paper, we introduce the use of new automotive, high-force, compact, light-weight circular force generators for providing the vibration element that is lacking in BEVs. The technology was developed originally for vibration reduction/control in aerospace applications, has been recently tested in various vehicles, and demonstrates the effectiveness for providing a real haptic feel across the entire vehicle. Shaking the vehicle globally provides a unique capability for BEVs, including Hybrid Electric Vehicles and for helping to create a smooth transition between Gas and Electric power, for example. The technology can be used to generate and emulate high-performance, high power, combustion engine feel, including idle, engine run-up/acceleration, simulated gear shifts, and Advanced Driving Assistance and Systems (ADAS) haptic indicators. The optional and customizable vibration can also mask road vibration which becomes very noticeable in otherwise smooth BEVs and can provide the perfect supplement to existing audio enhancements and gear shifting features. Additionally, the paper describes how the force generating device can be packaged in a light weight, compact, low-power manner. The technology will be compared to other force generating methods, and discuss its pros and cons.
Modal performance of a vehicle body often influences tactile vibrations felt by passengers as well as their acoustic comfort inside the cabin at low frequencies. This paper focuses on a premium hatchback’s development program where a design-intent initial batch of proto-cars were found to meet their targeted NVH performance. However, tactile vibrations in pre-production pilot batch vehicles were found to be of higher intensity. As a resolution, a method of cascading full vehicle level performance to its Body-In-White (BIW) component level was used to understand dynamic behavior of the vehicle and subsequently, to improve structural weakness of the body to achieve the targeted NVH performance. The cascaded modal performance indicated that global bending stiffness of the pre-production bodies was on the lower side w.r.t. that of the design intent body. To identify the root cause, design sensitivity of number and footprint of weld spots, roof bows’ and headers’ attachment stiffness to BIW, panel gages, body pillars joints’ attachment stiffness etc. was conducted using CAE tools. Identified structural weaknesses were converted into optimum design solutions, which were then validated using Experimental Modal Analysis (EMA). The proposed structural modifications in the body showed good improvement in the idle tactile vibrations and overall NVH of all production vehicles, validating the whole approach.
Today’s intelligent robots can accurately recognize many objects through vision and touch. Tactile information, obtained through sensors, along with machine learning algorithms, enables robots to identify objects previously handled.
Using electrical impedance tomography (EIT), researchers have developed a system using a flexible tactile sensor for objective evaluation of fine finger movements. Demonstrating high accuracy in classifying diverse pinching motions, with discrimination rates surpassing 90 percent, this innovation holds potential in cognitive development and automated medical research.
Maintenance of spatial orientation (SO) is achieved primarily through visual information where the horizon and celestial reference cues or flight instruments are used by pilots to infer aircraft orientation. However, cross checking the instruments in degraded visual environments can be complicated by factors such as workload, distraction, and situations where the vestibular and proprioceptive systems may provide false and competing orientation information. We describe experiments measuring pilot performance using a flight simulator under challenging conditions where the sensory information was controlled. Reducing available visual instruments increased the task difficulty. A wearable vibrotactile array could provide concurrent, additional orientation information. Increasing the flying task segment difficulty increased the perceived workload and also corresponded to an increase in accidents. Adding tactile orientation information reduced the accident rate.
This paper illustrates the development, implementation, and testing of full-body haptic and spatial audio cueing algorithms for augmented pilot perception. Cueing algorithms are developed for roll-axis compensatory tracking tasks where the pilot acts on the displayed error between a desired input and the comparable vehicle output motion to produce a control action. The error is displayed to the pilot using multiple cueing modalities: visual, haptic, audio, and combinations of these. For the visual and combined visual haptic/audio modalities, visual cues are also considered in degraded visual environments (DVE). Full-body haptic and spatial audio algorithms that are based on a proportional derivative (PD) compensation strategy on the tracking error are found to provide satisfactory pilot vehicle system (PVS) performance for the task in consideration in absence of visual cueing, and to improve PVS performance in DVE when used in combination with visual feedback. These results are consistent with previous studies on the use of secondary perceptual cues for augmentation of human perception. The combination of these results indicate that the use of secondary sensory cues such as full-body haptics and spatial audio to augment the pilot perception can lead to improved/partially-restored PVS performance when primary sensory cues like vision are impaired or denied.
This paper describes development and testing of a low-cost device mounted on in the pilot seat of a rotorcraft simulator with the aim of improving the perceived realism of the flight. The device acting vertically from the bottom of the seat is used to communicate changes of acceleration in the vertical direction corresponding to heave movement of the simulated aircraft. A bespoke flight simulator system was developed, featuring modular design and virtual reality (VR) visualisation to enable comparative testing with a full motion system. Objective analyses have shown similarities between the two motion cueing configurations when contrasted with only using visual cues.
While there is a tendency for new vehicles to have a focus on ride, handling, performance and other dynamic elements, the model year 2024 Lincoln Nautilus team added another element to how the driver will experience the midsize SUV. Not that the ride, handling, etc. were ignored, but the global design and engineering team wanted to do something different with this two-row SUV. Recognize that this is a vehicle with a sumptuous interior that includes not only first-class seating (24-way adjustable front seats) and materials (Alpine Venetian leather available on the seats; cashmere for the headliner) but also an available high-end Revel Ultima 3D audio system with 28 speakers. What's more, there's “Lincoln Digital Scent,” small electronically activated pods containing various aromas (e.g., Mystic Forest, Ozonic Azure, Violet Cashmere). Across the top of the instrument panel there is a 48-inch backlit LCD screen and a 11.1-inch touchscreen in the center stack.
Engineers like to know what customers think about a vehicle. Now, drivers of the all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E can oblige via a new system that channels select customer comments to engineers. F-150 Lightning fullsize pickup truck and Mustang Mach-E SUV owners in the U.S. can pass along opinions via a 45-second voice message after selecting “record feedback” through the settings-general menu on the infotainment touchscreen. “We want to hear the customer's voice. Ford does customer clinics and events, but this is a different way to capture customer feedback,” Donna Dickson, chief engineer of the Ford Mustang Mach-E, said in an interview with SAE Media.
Achieving human-level dexterity during manipulation and grasping has been a long-standing goal in robotics. To accomplish this, having a reliable sense of tactile information and force is essential for robots. A recent study, published in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, describes the L3 F-TOUCH sensor that enhances the force sensing capabilities of classic tactile sensors. The sensor is lightweight, low-cost, and wireless, making it an affordable option for retrofitting existing robot hands and graspers.
Personal devices feed our sight and hearing virtually unlimited streams of information while leaving our sense of touch mostly … untouched.
Startups are famous for moving quickly. Vinfast may want to slow things down. It was only 2019 when the Vietnamese company built its first cars, rebodied versions of gasoline BMWs that became hits in its home market. Vinfast speedily developed four electric SUVs, including the inaugural VF8 that SAE Media drove in southern California. At the same time, a cargo ship docked near San Francisco, carrying nearly 2,000 VF8s for customers in California and Canada. The next day, Vinfast announced plans to go public via a SPAC merger. And Vinfast recently broke ground on a $4 billion factory in North Carolina, targeting 150,000 units of annual capacity and more than 7,000 jobs.
Crew Station design in the physical realm is complex and expensive due to the cost of fabrication and the time required to reconfigure necessary hardware to conduct studies for human factors and optimization of space claim. However, recent advances in Virtual Reality (VR) and hand tracking technologies have enabled a paradigm shift to the process. The Ground Vehicle System Center has developed an innovative approach using VR technologies to enable a trade space exploration capability which provides crews the ability to place touchscreens and switch panels as desired, then lock them into place to perform a fully recorded simulation of operating the vehicle through a virtual terrain, maneuvering through firing points and engaging moving and static targets during virtual night and day missions with simulated sensor effects for infrared and night vision. Human factors are explored and studied using hand tracking which enables operators to check reach by interacting with virtual components like flipping switches and with virtual touchscreens. This activity facilitates acquisition because it enables technology assessments and optimizations for human factors in a cost effective and time efficient manner.
Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) spacesuits are both enabling and limiting. Because pressurization results in stiffening of the pressure garment, an astronaut’s motions and mobility are significantly restricted during EVAs. Dexterity, in particular, is severely reduced. Astronauts are commonly on record identifying spacesuit gloves as a top-priority item in their EVA apparel needing significant improvement. Apollo 17 astronaut-geologist Harrison “Jack” Schmitt has singled out hand fatigue and dexterity as the top two problems to address in EVA spacesuit design for future Moon and Mars exploration. The NASA-STD-3000 standards document indeed states: “Space suit gloves degrade tactile proficiency compared to bare hand operations... Attention should be given to the design of manual interfaces to preclude or minimize hand fatigue or physical discomfort.”
Technology capable of replicating the sense of touch — also known as haptic feedback — can greatly enhance human-computer and human-robot interfaces for applications such as medical rehabilitation and virtual reality. A soft artificial skin was developed that provides haptic feedback and, using a self-sensing mechanism, has the potential to instantaneously adapt to a wearer’s movements.
Active Inceptors in fly-by-wire aircraft offer new possibilities for control law reconfigurability, haptic cueing and system redundancies. Based on recent active inceptor research, new requirements for force-feel characteristics are proposed. Results are obtained from a simulation campaign investigating the influence of dynamic force-feel characteristics on the overall air-vehicle handling qualities (HQs). For this study, a rate-command type controller is evaluated in a pilot-in-the-loop simulation facility. Five mission task elements (MTEs) are flown with a range of force-feel characteristics (stick damping and stick natural frequency). Pilot comments on the active inceptors indicate clear differences and preferences between inceptor configurations. Generally, inceptor configurations with lower damping and higher natural frequency are preferred. Some minor differences, with respect to the MTEs flown, were noted and these may be explored in more detail in future research.
Researchers have developed a simple, yet effective approach for on-demand tactile sensing in minimally invasive surgery, overcoming a key limitation — the inability of surgeons to feel tissues during an operation. The tool uses off-the-shelf sensors integrated into a laparoscopic grasper.
A research team from Chemnitz and Dresden has taken a major step forward in the development of sensitive electronic skin (e-skin) with integrated artificial hairs. E-skins are flexible electronic systems that try to mimic the sensitivity of their natural human skin counterparts. Applications range from skin replacement and medical sensors on the body to artificial skin for humanoid robots and androids.
High-fidelity touch has the potential to significantly expand the scope of what we expect from computing devices, making new remote sensory experiences possible. The research on these advancements, led by a pair of researchers at Texas A&M University, could help touch-screens simulate virtual shapes.
Rotorcraft generations are defined by concurrent paradigm advances, and a key theme of next generation rotorcraft is the reduction of pilot workload through state-of-the-art fly-by-wire systems. A means of reducing pilot workload is envelope protection - allowing the crew to spend less time managing physical aspects of the aircraft and more time managing the mission. Tiltrotors operate in a wide envelope, hovering near the ground and cruising at 25,000 feet. The power management system needs to be versatile to protect against operating above transmission limits in helicopter mode and engine limits at high altitude in airplane mode. In this implementation, tactile cueing is used to provide the pilot immediate feedback to and management of the transmission torque. Through flight test, the methodology of power management using a first-limit based tactile cueing system is validated. This paper describes the feedback scheme as realized in the flight control system, then the dedicated engine handling flight test campaign and subsequent experimental results are presented.
The potential uses of Active Side-Stick Units (ASSU) technology far exceed solely the case of fully programmable haptic feedbacks to one single pilot or the capability to generate haptic cueing for Flight Envelope Protection functions. Indeed, in dual pilot configurations, the capability to electronically link ASSU enables the coupling of the motions of the Pilot Flying (PF) and Pilot Monitoring (PM) controllers and opens potential new modes of communication between pilots, as well as between crew and Automatic Flight Control System (AFCS) when upper modes are engaged. The EFAICTS (Ergonomic impact and new Functions induced by Active Inceptor integration in CockpiTS) project, started in December 2018, received funding from the Clean Sky 2 Joint Undertaking under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 820884. ONERA was the project coordinator and Safran Electronics and Defense the Topic Leader. The EFAICTS project proposed to develop and integrate coupling and haptic functions for both Pilot/Co-pilot and Crew/Autopilot interactions along a Human-Centered Design approach, in which the end-users (i.e. pilots) were at the heart of the development, from the beginning of the project to the final evaluation phase. The paper focuses on the flight scenarios definition; the PF/PM/AFCS interactions definition; the development of specific haptic feedbacks and ASSU coupling functions. All the concepts developed and assessed through modelling and intermediate tests were finally evaluated by experienced pilots on the ONERA simulation bench. The main results are presented in the paper.
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