Thread: New devices promise touchy-feely computing

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New devices promise touchy-feely computing - tech - 20 August 2007 - New Scientist Tech

15:40 20 August 2007
NewScientist.com news service
Matthew Busse



Is it possible to "feel" an object while being in another location? This is a question addressed by several technologies on show at the SIGGRAPH 2007 computer conference in San Diego, California, US, earlier this month.
Haptic technology, which exploits the sense of touch, could have a range of applications, researchers say, from telesurgery and robotic remote control to more immersive computer games.
Haptic devices currently range from simple "rumble pack" games controllers to force-feedback devices like the Phantom Desktop – a graspable pen on the end of a motorised robotic arm.
Box of balls

Gravity Grabber, developed by Susumu Tachi and colleagues at the University of Tokyo, Japan, and demonstrated at SIGGRAPH, offers an easier way to stimulate touch, using a simple set up of motors and belts.
The prototype device consists of two tube-shaped attachments that fit over a person's thumb and forefinger. Each tube has a pair of motors that sit on top and connect to a belt that wraps around the tip of the finger. The motors can pull on the belt to produce the feeling of touching an object, and can produce the feeling of holding something heavy by pulling more tightly.
Kouta Minamizawa, who worked on the project, says that something as simple and low-cost as the Gravity Grabber could be ideally suited to gaming. A demonstration at SIGGRAPH was used to make the wearer feel as if they were holding a box filled with balls. See a video of the .
Light touch

A more sensitive haptic device designed by Tachi's team specifically for remote manipulation was also on show at the conference. Called Haptic Telexistence, it consists of a large mechanical controller that wraps around the outside of a user's hand, which connects to a remote robotic "slave" hand.
Each fingertip on the slave hand is covered with LEDs with a small camera behind. The amount of the light reflected back from an object reveals its shape and how tightly it is held.
An equivalent amount of force is then transmitted to the user's fingertips via an array of tiny pegs that pop up and deliver a miniscule electric current to stimulate nerve fibres.
Katsunari Sato, who is working on the project, says this "electro-tactile feedback" is more subtle than alternative techniques such as vibration. This can deliver a sensation a texture and even, in principle, heat.
Virtual tennis

Other researchers are also investigating ways to transmit touch with electrical stimulation. Farzam Farbiz at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research in Singapore described a project that involves stimulating forearm muscles with electricity to produce the sensation of hitting a tennis ball.
By modulating the frequency and amplitude of signals delivered through electrodes on the arm, his device mimics the muscle contractions felt when an arm connects with a real ball. The sensations are not yet fully realistic, Farbiz admits, but he hopes they will improve as the process is better understood.
Feather weight

An unusual attempt to create a very delicate artificial sense of touch was the Fibratus Tactile Sensor, created by Satoshi Saga and colleagues at Tohoku University in Japan.
The device consists of feathers embedded in a silicone gel mounted over a checkered pattern, and with a video camera beneath. Stroking the feathers warps the gel and alters the amount of light that filters through the pattern to be picked up by the camera.
A computer can then calculate the pressure being exerted on the feathers displays it on a screen. Saga says this might ultimately be used to give robots a more human-like ability to touch and feel.
Walk this way

Hiroo Iwata, from the University of Tsukuba in Japan, and other groups are exploring different aspects of virtual reality. Iwata has previous developed multi-directional treadmills and powered roller skates, and demonstrated a new idea called String Walker at SIGGRAPH.
This system tracks a user's walk, allowing them explore a virtual environment on foot. Wheeled sandals keep the user walking on the same spot, while a network of strings and motors track the motion of their feet with each step.
The whole setup is mounted on a turntable, so that a person can swivel on the spot. See a video of . Some participants at SIGGRAPH 2007 said the necessary walking motion took some getting used to.

Imagine you could build a virtual gym, with just a few parts you could have several different stations in one and no plates to mess with. Just stack them on virtually and the motors will adjust in an unbalanced manner to simulate free weights....