Making Sense of Haptics: Fundamentals of Perception and Implications for Device Design

Description

Tele operation systems, in which robots are controlled remotely, are a potential solution to performing tasks in remote, small, and hazardous environments. However, there is a big disadvantage to these systems; as the direct connection between the human and the environment is lost and operators are deprived of their sense of touch. The recreation of touch feedback through haptic devices is a possible solution, however haptic devices are far from perfect and improving their design is usually a slow trial-and-error process. This book describes 7 scientific studies that try to break this slow loop by using a deductive approach. Through investigating fundamental properties of human haptic perception using psychophysical paradigms, general knowledge on haptic perception of force, position, movement and hardness was gained. The resulting information can be applied to many different haptic devices. Consequently haptic systems can be more easily designed in an intuitive, human-centered way. Front Matter ....Pages i-xii Introduction (Femke Elise van Beek)....Pages 1-9 Front Matter ....Pages 11-11 Perception of Force Direction and Magnitude (Femke Elise van Beek)....Pages 13-30 Perception of Force Direction (Femke Elise van Beek)....Pages 31-38 Perception of Force Magnitude and Postural Arm Dynamics (Femke Elise van Beek)....Pages 39-59 Front Matter ....Pages 61-61 Discrimination of Distance (Femke Elise van Beek)....Pages 63-80 The Effect of Damping on the Perception of Hardness (Femke Elise van Beek)....Pages 81-101 Front Matter ....Pages 103-103 Integrating Force and Position (Femke Elise van Beek)....Pages 105-127 Visuo-Haptic Biases in Haptic Guidance (Femke Elise van Beek)....Pages 129-143 General Discussion (Femke Elise van Beek)....Pages 145-154