iSkin - Haptic interface for the sense of touch
Physical objects can be perceived by their texture, shape, weight and their dynamics(as of a spring when compressed between fingers). The first version of iSkin is built to take advantage of an arbitary object's (rigid and non-rigid) shape and dynamics and help us feel sensation of object with our fingers with actually holding the object!.
- Consists of a
exoskeleton with actuatorswhich grips your fingers and overheadcameraalong withforce sensor, microprocessor & IMUto sense and correct force on your finger tips and shape your palm - For example, if you want to emulate
pressing a spring stuck to the surface of a table,you'd be pressing your finger against one of the fingers of exoskeleton(stuck to table) whose surface is fitted with a flex force sensor to measure the amount of force your finger is sensing. The actuators will have in-built encoders to estimate the depth of press. This information will be used to emulate the sense of touch by programming the dynamics of a spring. - Another example, if you want to emulate
playing a keyboard without actually having one physically, you'll again have 1 finger of exoskeleton (stuck to table) facing your fingers, this time we'll also use camera's position feedback to help the skeleton fingers follow yours while you move your hand playing the virtual keyboard
| Stage # | Emulator target | Desk/Mobile | Dynamics | Shape | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stage-1 | Spring emulator | Desk | Y | N | Success |
| Stage-2 | Keyboard emulator | Desk | Y | N | Success |
| Stage-3 | 5 fingers piano emulator | Desk | Y | N | Not implemented |
| Stage-4 | 5 fingers piano emulator | Mobile | Y | N | Not implemented |
| Stage-5 | 5 fingers generic emulator | Mobile | Y | Y | Not implemented |
