In this paper, the development of a multitouch haptic interface equipped with a movable touch screen is described. The proposed system enables a user to perceive the shape of two-dimensional virtual objects displayed on the screen and translate them with his/her fingers. When the relative position of the fingertips is fixed on the touch screen, the fingers can be considered as a hand-shaped rigid object. In such situation, reaction force can be exerted on the fingertips by using 2 DOF haptic interfaces. Therefore, the system consists of a touch screen, a 6-axis force sensor, and an X-Y stage. When the user touches the screen, the positions of his/her fingertips are detected and the force applied by the user can be measured by the force sensor. When the fingers are not in contact with any of the objects, the X-Y stage moves along with the fingers. Further, the proposed system can exert a reaction force to the user’s fingertips via the screen. When the fingers come into contact with a virtual object, the reaction force is generated on the basis of the resultant force caused by the force applied by the fingers. We control the screen velocity by using the X-Y stage so as to generate a haptic sensation. The usability of the prototype system for shape perception and object operation was confirmed through experiments.

Presenter(s)

Shun Takanaka, University of Tsukuba
Hiroaki Yano, University of Tsukuba
Hiroo Iwata, University of Tsukuba