Two-Fingered Haptic Device for Robot Hand Teleoperation

A haptic feedback system is required to assist telerehabilitation with robot hand. The system should provide the reaction force measured in the robot hand to an operator. In this paper, we have developed a force feedback device that presents a reaction force to the distal segment of the operator's thumb, middle finger, and basipodite of the middle finger when the robot hand grasps an object. The device uses a shape memory alloy as an actuator, which affords a very compact, lightweight, and accurate device

Wearable haptic systems for the fingertip and the hand: taxonomy, review and perspectives

In the last decade, we have witnessed a drastic change in the form factor of audio and vision technologies, from heavy and grounded machines to lightweight devices that naturally fit our bodies. However, only recently, haptic systems have started to be designed with wearability in mind. The wearability of haptic systems enables novel forms of communication, cooperation, and integration between humans and machines. Wearable haptic interfaces are capable of communicating with the human wearers during their interaction with the environment they share, in a natural and yet private way. This paper presents a taxonomy and review of wearable haptic systems for the fingertip and the hand, focusing on those systems directly addressing wearability challenges. The paper also discusses the main technological and design challenges for the development of wearable haptic interfaces, and it reports on the future perspectives of the field. Finally, the paper includes two tables summarizing the characteristics and features of the most representative wearable haptic systems for the fingertip and the hand

Exodex Adam—A Reconfigurable Dexterous Haptic User Interface for the Whole Hand

Applications for dexterous robot teleoperation and immersive virtual reality are growing. Haptic user input devices need to allow the user to intuitively command and seamlessly “feel” the environment they work in, whether virtual or a remote site through an avatar. We introduce the DLR Exodex Adam, a reconfigurable, dexterous, whole-hand haptic input device. The device comprises multiple modular, three degrees of freedom (3-DOF) robotic fingers, whose placement on the device can be adjusted to optimize manipulability for different user hand sizes. Additionally, the device is mounted on a 7-DOF robot arm to increase the user’s workspace. Exodex Adam uses a front-facing interface, with robotic fingers coupled to two of the user’s fingertips, the thumb, and two points on the palm. Including the palm, as opposed to only the fingertips as is common in existing devices, enables accurate tracking of the whole hand without additional sensors such as a data glove or motion capture. By providing “whole-hand” interaction with omnidirectional force-feedback at the attachment points, we enable the user to experience the environment with the complete hand instead of only the fingertips, thus realizing deeper immersion. Interaction using Exodex Adam can range from palpation of objects and surfaces to manipulation using both power and precision grasps, all while receiving haptic feedback. This article details the concept and design of the Exodex Adam, as well as use cases where it is deployed with different command modalities. These include mixed-media interaction in a virtual environment, gesture-based telemanipulation, and robotic hand–arm teleoperation using adaptive model-mediated teleoperation. Finally, we share the insights gained during our development process and use case deployments

A Review of Pneumatic Actuators Used for the Design of Medical Simulators and Medical Tools

International audienc

The Shape of Damping: Optimizing Damping Coefficients to Improve Transparency on Bilateral Telemanipulation

This thesis presents a novel optimization-based passivity control algorithm for hapticenabled bilateral teleoperation systems involving multiple degrees of freedom. In particular, in the context of energy-bounding control, the contribution focuses on the implementation of a passivity layer for an existing time-domain scheme, ensuring optimal transparency of the interaction along subsets of the environment space which are preponderant for the given task, while preserving the energy bounds required for passivity. The involved optimization problem is convex and amenable to real-time implementation. The effectiveness of the proposed design is validated via an experiment performed on a virtual teleoperated environment. The interplay between transparency and stability is a critical aspect in haptic-enabled bilateral teleoperation control. While it is important to present the user with the true impedance of the environment, destabilizing factors such as time delays, stiff environments, and a relaxed grasp on the master device may compromise the stability and safety of the system. Passivity has been exploited as one of the the main tools for providing sufficient conditions for stable teleoperation in several controller design approaches, such as the scattering algorithm, timedomain passivity control, energy bounding algorithm, and passive set position modulation. In this work it is presented an innovative energy-based approach, which builds upon existing time-domain passivity controllers, improving and extending their effectiveness and functionality. The set of damping coefficients are prioritized in each degree of freedom, the resulting transparency presents a realistic force feedback in comparison to the other directions. Thus, the prioritization takes effect using a quadratic programming algorithm to find the optimal values for the damping. Finally, the energy tanks approach on passivity control is a solution used to ensure stability in a system for robotics bilateral manipulation. The bilateral telemanipulation must maintain the principle of passivity in all moments to preserve the system\u2019s stability. This work presents a brief introduction to haptic devices as a master component on the telemanipulation chain; the end effector in the slave side is a representation of an interactive object within an environment having a force sensor as feedback signal. The whole interface is designed into a cross-platform framework named ROS, where the user interacts with the system. Experimental results are presented

Haptic Hand Exoskeleton for Precision Grasp Simulation

This paper outlines the design and the development of a novel robotic hand exoskeleton (HE) conceived for haptic interaction in the context of virtual reality (VR) and teleoperation (TO) applications. The device allows exerting controlled forces on fingertips of the index and thumb of the operator. The new exoskeleton features several design solutions adopted with the aim of optimizing force accuracy and resolution. The use of remote centers of motion mechanisms allows achieving a compact and lightweight design. An improved stiffness of the transmission and reduced requirements for the electromechanical actuators are obtained thanks to a novel principle for integrating speed reduction into torque transmission systems. A custom designed force sensor and integrated electronics are employed to further improve performances. The electromechanical design of the device and the experimental characterization are presented

Multimodality with Eye tracking and Haptics: A New Horizon for Serious Games?

The goal of this review is to illustrate the emerging use of multimodal virtual reality that can benefit learning-based games. The review begins with an introduction to multimodal virtual reality in serious games and we provide a brief discussion of why cognitive processes involved in learning and training are enhanced under immersive virtual environments. We initially outline studies that have used eye tracking and haptic feedback independently in serious games, and then review some innovative applications that have already combined eye tracking and haptic devices in order to provide applicable multimodal frameworks for learning-based games. Finally, some general conclusions are identified and clarified in order to advance current understanding in multimodal serious game production as well as exploring possible areas for new applications

Dedicated and industrial robotic arms used as force feedback telerobots at the AREVA-La Hague recycling plant

ISBN: 978-1-4244-6635-1/10International audienceCEA LIST and AREVA have been developing remote operations devices, also called telerobotics for 15 years. These tools were designed for interventions in the AREVA nuclear spent fuel facilities hot cells. From these 15 years of joint research and development, several technological bricks have been industrialized and used at the AREVA La Hague facilities. This article presents some of these bricks and their industrial developments. The “TAO2000” CEA LIST telerobotics generic software controller will be first discussed. This controller has been used to teleoperate dedicated slave arms like the MT200 TAO (an evolution of the conventional wall-transmission mechanical telemanipulator (MSM)) as well as industrial robotic arms like the Stäubli RX robots. Both the MT200 TAO and Stäubli RX TAO telerobotics systems provide force-feedback and are now ready to be used as telemaintenance tools at the AREVA La Hague facilities. Two recent maintenance operations using these tools will be detailed at the end of this pape