Haptics: Generating and Perceiving Tangible Sensations

Abstract

Tactile display devices must fulfill various technical requirements for tactile stimulation, and present a good compactness for handheld applications; control strategies must also be defined in order to optimize their efficiency. This paper focuses on the control strategies of a 4x4 tactile highly integrated magnetic micro-actuator array offering a resolution of 2 mm. This device is dedicated to provide both static and dynamic tactile sensations, from DC to a 350 Hz. Preliminary perception tests were led on this device and confirm the effectiveness of the device and its ability to deliver meaningful tactile sensations. Two matters were investigated. The first one concerned spatial localization of tactile stimuli, while the second one was related to the evaluation of the device capacity to create easily detectable temporal stimuli. The considered control strategy also aimed at decreasing power consumption while increasing actuation forces. © 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.