Haptic Technology
Force feedabck glove "KinesCeTI"
Haptics is a multidisciplinary field encompassing scientific and engineering research that focuses on the sense of touch. Haptic interfaces have a unique characteristic of bi-directionality, which means that they integrate both sensing and feedback. Kinesthetic haptic interfaces detect and provide feedback via force or movement, whereas tactile haptic interfaces utilize the skin as a medium for sensing touch signals and providing feedback.
The emerging research in wearable kinesthetic feedback has revolutionized human-machine interfaces, enabling them to be more effective. These haptic technologies have demonstrated great potential in a wide range of applications, including surgery robots, medical treatments and simulations, and virtual reality.
Sensors and actuators wearable on the skin have garnered increased attention for tactile interfaces. The sensors can capture haptic signals generated during real-time and dynamic touch interactions, whereas the actuators deliver information to the user through touch signals. Integrating the sensing and feedback functions creates a bidirectional information path that better connects humans and machines.
We investigate the following research fields related to haptic technologies: