SensoPatch: A Reconfigurable Haptic Feedback with High-Density Tactile Sensing Glove

TL;DR

SensoPatch is an open-source, reconfigurable haptic feedback system with high-density tactile sensing designed to improve prosthetic feedback through customizable vibration stimulation and comprehensive performance testing.

Contribution

It introduces a versatile, low-cost platform for studying tactile feedback modalities and stimulation sites in wearable devices, enabling large-scale comparative research.

Findings

Vibration discrimination varies across body parts.

Mapping tactile data to multiple motors affects object manipulation.

The system supports customizable feedback configurations.

Abstract

Haptic feedback is integral to the improved experience of prosthetic users and the reduction in prosthesis rejection. Prior studies have explored various methods to encode tactile information and deliver vibration feedback. However, a comprehensive study comparing performance across different stimulation locations and feedback modalities for wearable devices is absent and there is no test platform. This paper proposes an open-source reconfigurable haptic feedback system which incorporates 25 sensors and wireless communication to allow customized number of vibration motors, adjustable motor placement, and programmable encoding of tactile data to change feedback modalities. To demonstrate potential studies that can be investigated using SensoPatch, we conducted two experiments: 1) to assess the vibration discrimination accuracy on 3 body parts 2) to assess the effect of 6 methods of mapping tactile data to varying number of motors on object manipulation. SensoPatch utilizes low-cost off-the-shelf components, enabling large-scale comparative studies of feedback modalities and stimulation sites to optimize vibrotactile feedback and facilitate its deployment in upper limb prostheses.