Control and instrumention equipment for a dexterous haptic interface

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Haptic devices are bi-directional human-to-machine interfaces that allow users to touch and manipulate objects in remote and/or inaccessible environments with the aid of robotic manipulators. In virtual reality applications, users can employ haptic interfaces to interact with virtual objects and environments.  What differentiates haptic devices from other human-to-machine interfaces is their ability to provide force feedback to the user. Existing haptic interfaces are limited by their single-contact-point feedback through fixed interfaces such as knobs, styli, and thimble gimbals. However, a recently developed technology by the investigator enables multi-finger grasping and manipulation of real or virtual objects, a more realistic reflection of human haptic experience. Such dexterous haptic rendering ability is essential to the success of haptic interfaces in a wide range of applications including robotic-assisted surgery and telesurgery, training simulation of medical procedures, space telerobotics, computer-aided-design and virtual prototyping. The research enabled by this grant will explore advanced control methods for human-machine coordination in these applications.