Haptics: Science, Technology, Applications

This open access book constitutes the proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Human Haptic Sensing and Touch Enabled Computer Applications, EuroHaptics 2020, held in Leiden, The Netherlands, in September 2020. The 60 papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 111 submissions. The were organized in topical sections on haptic science, haptic technology, and haptic applications. This year's focus is on accessibility

Haptics: Science, Technology, Applications

This open access book constitutes the proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Human Haptic Sensing and Touch Enabled Computer Applications, EuroHaptics 2020, held in Leiden, The Netherlands, in September 2020. The 60 papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 111 submissions. The were organized in topical sections on haptic science, haptic technology, and haptic applications. This year's focus is on accessibility

Enhancing user experience and safety in the context of automated driving through uncertainty communication

Operators of highly automated driving systems may exhibit behaviour characteristic of overtrust issues due to an insufficient awareness of automation fallibility. Consequently, situation awareness in critical situations is reduced and safe driving performance following emergency takeovers is impeded. Previous research has indicated that conveying system uncertainties may alleviate these issues. However, existing approaches require drivers to attend the uncertainty information with focal attention, likely resulting in missed changes when engaged in non-driving-related tasks. This research project expands on existing work regarding uncertainty communication in the context of automated driving. Specifically, it aims to investigate the implications of conveying uncertainties under consideration of non-driving-related tasks and, based on the outcomes, develop and evaluate an uncertainty display that enhances both user experience and driving safety. In a first step, the impact of visually conveying uncertainties was investigated under consideration of workload, trust, monitoring behaviour, non-driving-related tasks, takeover performance, and situation awareness. For this, an anthropomorphic visual uncertainty display located in the instrument cluster was developed. While the hypothesised benefits for trust calibration and situation awareness were confirmed, the results indicate that visually conveying uncertainties leads to an increased perceived effort due to a higher frequency of monitoring glances. Building on these findings, peripheral awareness displays were explored as a means for conveying uncertainties without the need for focused attention to reduce monitoring glances. As a prerequisite for developing such a display, a systematic literature review was conducted to identify evaluation methods and criteria, which were then coerced into a comprehensive framework. Grounded in this framework, a peripheral awareness display for uncertainty communication was developed and subsequently compared with the initially proposed visual anthropomorphic uncertainty display in a driving simulator study. Eye tracking and subjective workload data indicate that the peripheral awareness display reduces the monitoring effort relative to the visual display, while driving performance and trust data highlight that the benefits of uncertainty communication are maintained. Further, this research project addresses the implications of increasing the functional detail of uncertainty information. Results of a driving simulator study indicate that particularly workload should be considered when increasing the functional detail of uncertainty information. Expanding upon this approach, an augmented reality display concept was developed and a set of visual variables was explored in a forced choice sorting task to assess their ordinal characteristics. Particularly changes in colour hue and animation-based variables received high preference ratings and were ordered consistently from low to high uncertainty. This research project has contributed a series of novel insights and ideas to the field of human factors in automated driving. It confirmed that conveying uncertainties improves trust calibration and situation awareness, but highlighted that using a visual display lessens the positive effects. Addressing this shortcoming, a peripheral awareness display was designed applying a dedicated evaluation framework. Compared with the previously employed visual display, it decreased monitoring glances and, consequentially, perceived effort. Further, an augmented reality-based uncertainty display concept was developed to minimise the workload increments associated with increases in the functional detail of uncertainty information.</div

Object grasping and safe manipulation using friction-based sensing.

This project provides a solution for slippage prevention in industrial robotic grippers for the purpose of safe object manipulation. Slippage sensing is performed using novel friction-based sensors, with customisable slippage sensitivity and complemented by an effective slippage prediction strategy. The outcome is a reliable and affordable slippage prevention technology

Semi-wearable seating concepts for vehicle control, medical, and wellbeing applications

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2007.Includes bibliographical references (p. 89).This thesis explores how natural bodily movements can be translated into a control interface for vehicles. Focusing on the car, our goal is to increase human performance and wellbeing while eliminating the traditionally antagonistic relationship between comfort and freedom of movement vs. support, safety and sensing the car. We will discuss seating, traditional controls, their origins, evolution, and their implications in the context of today's cars. Based on the physical demands of the vehicle environment, and on positive body experiences from sports and other concepts of movement, we will then explore how we could re-think the function, self-image, and presentation of the human body in the context of cars. We will develop a seat prototype, which will encourage beneficial body sensations and - motions, taking into account the shapes, textures, and emotional significance of touch and movement in and by itself, and in the car environment. The core of our concept will focus on natural movements of the lower back and hips, as experienced when walking or skiing. Building on the exoskeleton-like "Athlete Seat," which blurs the boundaries between wearing and sitting in, we will develop the core prototype out towards the upper body and limbs.(cont.) We will develop a second prototype, which will have pelvic movements in the frontal plane as done when walking, bicycling, or dancing, as the basis of its concept. This prototype will be connected to a car simulator to investigate if good vehicle control can be achieved with our method. In a second stage, we will systematically evaluate the car control, wellbeing, and fun aspects in a user study. Our modular design will be usable in parts and adaptable to various uses, in vehicles, for entertainment, exercise, wellbeing, and medical purposes, improving physical condition and the way we relate to our bodies.by Patrik A. Künzler.S.M