Data-Driven Multi-modal Haptic Rendering Combining Force, Tactile, and Thermal Feedback

Abstract

We introduce a data-driven multi-modal haptic rendering system which simultaneously presents force, tactile, and thermal feedback. To handle force, tactile, and thermal feedback together, a vibration actuator and a peltier module are attached to a force-feedback device. Several haptic properties of an object—shape, texture, friction, and viscoelasticity—are considered as components of force rendering. About tactile feedback, we combine contact transient and texture vibration when the user contacts and explores a surface. Thermal sensation between skin and an object rendered by considering both heat flux and the initial temperatures of the object and skin. Rendering models for all the modalities are collected from real interaction and modeled in a data-driven manner. We expect that our multi-modal rendering system improves realism of haptic sensation in the virtual environment.