Haptic Reproduction of Curved Surface and Edge by Controlling the Contact Position between the Disk and the Finger Using Airborne Ultrasound

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel haptic feedback method using airborne ultrasound to simulate curved surfaces and edges by controlling contact inclination, enabling realistic tactile experiences with a lightweight device.

Contribution

It proposes a new ultrasonic radiation pressure technique to reproduce curved surface sensations by adjusting disk inclination in contact with the finger.

Findings

User can feel edges and various curvatures accurately.

The device is lightweight and easy to mount.

Realistic tactile sensations are achieved.

Abstract

By presenting curved surfaces of various curvatures including edges to the fingertip, it is possible to reproduce the haptic sensation of object shapes that cannot be reproduced by flat surfaces alone, such as spheres and rectangular objects. In this paper, we propose a method of presenting curved surfaces by controlling the inclination of a disk in contact with the finger belly with acoustic radiation pressure of ultrasound. The user only needs to mount a lightweight device on the fingertip to experience a tactile presentation with low physical burden. In the demonstration, the user can experience the sensation of stroking an edge and different curvatures of curved surfaces.