A Framework to Illustrate Kinematic Behavior of Mechanisms by Haptic Feedback

TL;DR

This paper presents a haptic feedback framework using a Phantom Omni device to help students understand the physical meaning of kinematic properties of mechanisms, enhancing educational visualization.

Contribution

It introduces a novel haptic-based approach to illustrate kinematic indices, making complex concepts more tangible for learners.

Findings

Haptic feedback improves understanding of kinematic properties.

The framework effectively demonstrates singular configurations.

Users can differentiate mechanisms with and without feedback.

Abstract

The kinematic properties of mechanisms are well known by the researchers and teachers. The theory based on the study of Jacobian matrices allows us to explain, for example, the singular configuration. However, in many cases, the physical sense of such properties is difficult to explain to students. The aim of this article is to use haptic feedback to render to the user the signification of different kinematic indices. The framework uses a Phantom Omni and a serial and parallel mechanism with two degrees of freedom. The end-effector of both mechanisms can be moved either by classical mouse, or Phantom Omni with or without feedback.