Haptic Device Working with an Electrorheological Fluid

Abstract

A haptic device based on an electrorheological fluid has been designed and tested. The device is similar to ajoystick which controls the motion of a cursor on a computer screen. In electric fields of different strength the shear stress of the electrorheological fluid is increased accordingly, which is perceived by the user by different resistance forces against the motion of the joystick. Controlled by the software the user can feel if the cursor enters a selected field on the screen. Such haptic devices can be useful in various possible applications like supporting tools for the operation of machines, assisting interfaces for blind persons working with a computer, virtual reality or computer games. The design of the haptic device, its components and the electrorheological fluid used are described.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Bose, H. , 1998, Proc. 6th Int. Conf. on Electrorheological Fluids, Magnetorheological Suspensions and Their Applications ( M. Nakano and K. Koyama , Eds.), World Scientific, Singapore, 240-240.

Bose, H. and A. Trendler , Proc. 7th Int. Conf. on Electrorheological Fluids, Magnetorheological Suspensions and Their Applications ( R. Tao , Ed.), World Scientific, Singapore, in press.

Durlach, N. I. and A. S. Mavor , 1995, Virtual Reality Scientific and Technological Challenges, National Academy Press, Washington D.C.

Fricke, J., 1990, DE 4012267.

Furusho, J. and M. Sakaguchi , 1998, Proc. 6th Int. Conf. on Electrorheological Fluids, Magnetorheological Suspensions and Their Applications ( M. Nakano and K. Koyama , Eds.), World Scientific, Singapore, 755-755.

Massie, T. H. and J. K. Salisbury , 1994, Symposium on Haptic Interfaces for Virtual Environment and Teleoperator Systems, ASME Winter Annual Meeting, Chicago.

Monkman, G. J. , 1992, Presence 1, 219-219.

Taylor, P. M. , A. Hosseini-Sianaki , and C. J. Varley , 1996, 5th Int. Conf. on Electrorheological Fluids, Magnetorheological Suspensions and Associated Technology ( W. A. Bullough , Ed.), World Scientific, Singapore, 184-184.