CAREER: Closing the Loop of Human-Machine Interactions via Skin-Like Multimodal Haptic Interfaces

触觉感知对于人类的所有行动都是必不可少的，它有助于人类探索，理解和与周围环境互动。当与智能机器（如机器人、假肢、计算机甚至虚拟环境）交互时，这种触觉反馈对于高效的人机交互至关重要。在开发类似皮肤的传感器方面取得了显著进展，这些传感器可供用户控制机器，也可供机器了解周围环境。然而，从机器到用户的皮肤兼容触觉反馈在很大程度上是未开发的。该项目旨在开发触觉接口，可以产生与皮肤的感知能力和机械特性兼容的触觉提示。建议的皮肤样多模态触觉接口代表了一个重要的机会，使双边机器控制。由此产生的闭环人机界面是能够影响广泛应用的技术，包括机器人、假肢、远程操作、智能制造、娱乐、医疗/军事训练和虚拟现实（VR）/增强现实（AR）。触觉接口还可以通过使用触觉反馈编码和表示信息来使具有听力和视觉障碍的个人受益。综合研究和教育活动将激励和教育触觉设备和纳米技术领域的不同群体的学生。通过以团队为基础的研究活动，研讨会，开放日活动和研究指导，该项目将加强学生的技能发展，并推动他们追求STEM职业。教育和外展活动将吸引所有年龄段的弱势群体和学生。这项CAREER提案的研究目标是探索功能材料、结构设计以及整合策略之间的相互作用，以实现能够匹配皮肤功能和机械特性的触觉设备，以增强触觉感觉。提出了三个研究方向：（1）高性能软致动器产生机械触觉感觉。(2)强大的加热/冷却设备，以产生热触觉。(3)两种模态的集成用于皮肤状多模态触觉接口。这项职业建议的教育目标是传播可穿戴触觉和纳米材料的研究发现，以促进STEM领域的多样性，并为下一代劳动力提供技能，以推动这些新兴领域的发展。PI将开展以下教育活动：（1）指导一个多学科的垂直整合项目（VIP）团队，以加强学生的软技能，除了技术技能。(2)为Mater教师举办工作坊，以提高教师的STEM知识。当教师将这些新兴技术融入课程时，这些新兴技术将更广泛地传达给学生。(3)主办研究开放日，并为不同的学生群体提供研究机会，以激发兴趣和增加多样性。所提出的工作将产生新的知识的合理设计的触觉接口，通过皮肤实现有效的反馈感觉。该研究的完成将为闭环人机界面奠定基础，并为涉及用户和机器之间交互的应用铺平道路。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Haptic perception is essential for all human actions, which helps humans explore, understand, and interact with the surrounding environment. When interacting with smart machines, such as robots, prosthetics, computers, or even virtual environments, such haptic feedback is crucial for efficient human-machine interactions. Remarkable progress has been made in developing skin-like sensors for users to control machines and for machines to learn about their surrounding environment. However, skin-compatible haptic feedback from machines to users is largely unexplored. This project seeks to develop haptic interfaces that can produce haptic cues compatible with the sensing capabilities and mechanical properties of the skin. The proposed skin-like multimodal haptic interface represents a significant opportunity to enable bilateral machine control. The resulting closed-loop human-machine interface is the enabling technology that can impact a wide range of applications, including robotics, prosthetics, teleoperation, smart manufacturing, entertainment, medical/military training, and virtual reality (VR)/augmented reality (AR). The haptic interface can also benefit individuals with hearing and visual impairments by encoding and representing information using haptic feedback. The integrated research and educational activities will inspire and educate a diverse group of students in the fields of haptic devices and nanotechnology. Through team-based research activities, workshops, open house activities, and research mentoring, the project will strengthen students’ skillset development and advance their pursuit of STEM careers. The educational and outreach activities will engage underrepresented groups and students of all ages.The research objective of this CAREER proposal is to explore the interplay between functional materials, structural design, as well as integration strategies to realize haptic devices that can match the functional and mechanical characteristics of the skin for enhanced haptic sensations. Three research thrusts are proposed: (1) High-performance soft actuators to generate mechano-haptic sensations. (2) Robust heating/cooling devices to generate thermo-haptic sensations. (3) Integration of both modalities for skin-like multimodal haptic interfaces. The educational objective of this CAREER proposal is to disseminate research discoveries in wearable haptics and nanomaterials to promote diversity in STEM fields, and to equip the next generation workforce with skillsets to advance these emerging fields. The PI will conduct the following educational activities: (1) Mentor a multidisciplinary Vertically Integrated Project (VIP) team to strengthen students’ soft skills in addition to technical skills. (2) Develop a workshop for Mater Teachers to enhance teachers’ STEM knowledge. These emerging technologies will then be communicated more broadly to students when teachers integrate them into the curriculum. (3) Host research open houses and provide research opportunities for a diverse group of students to stimulate interest and increase diversity. The proposed work will yield new knowledge about the rational design of haptic interfaces to realize efficient feedback sensations through the skin. Completion of the proposed research will lay the ground for closed-loop human-machine interfaces and pave the way for applications involving interactions between users and machines.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.