Wearable Electrohydraulic Actuation For Salient Full-Fingertip Haptic Feedback

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Yitian Shao - , Clusters of Excellence CeTI: Centre for Tactile Internet, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (Author)
  • Alona Shagan Shomron - , Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (Author)
  • Bernard Javot - , Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (Author)
  • Christoph Keplinger - , Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, University of Colorado Boulder (Author)
  • Katherine J. Kuchenbecker - , Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (Author)

Abstract

Although essential for an immersive experience in extended reality (XR), providing salient and versatile touch feedback remains a technical challenge. Existing solutions restrict hand movements with bulky rigid structures, require a tethered energy source to power actuators worn on the hand, or output vibrations that lack expressiveness. This study introduces a design strategy for compact, lightweight, untethered haptic feedback centering on a 30-µm-thick inflatable chamber that naturally conforms to the fingertip; to minimize fluidic losses and enable high bandwidth, a soft electrohydraulic pump mounted on the hand actuates the chamber via a mechanically transparent fluidic channel. A 15.2-mm-diameter prototypical actuation chamber achieves 8 N peak force, 3 N steady-state force, stroke up to 5 mm, and bandwidth from 0 to 500 Hz. In contrast to these salient fingertip cues, the entire hydraulic system has a weight less than 8 g and a thickness less than 2 mm. Additionally, this study presents a validation approach that uses a commercial fingertip sensor to confirm that the haptic feedback created by the device imitates the touch signals generated during typical hand interactions. Together, this design strategy and validation method can enable a broad spectrum of haptic activities in diverse XR applications, including medical training, online shopping, and social interactions.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number2401525
JournalAdvanced materials technologies
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 24 Jan 2025
Peer-reviewedYes

Keywords

Keywords

  • extended reality, haptic feedback, HASEL actuators, soft robotics, wearable devices