Chapter 2 - Haptic Interfaces

Abstract

The word “haptic” refers to the sense of touch. This sense is essentially twofold, including both cutaneous touch and kinesthetic touch. Cutaneous touch refers to the sensation of surface features and tactile perception and is usually conveyed through the skin. Kinesthetic touch sensations, which arise within the muscles and tendons, allow one to interpret where one's limbs are in space and in relation to him or her. The sense of touch is one of the most informative senses that humans possess. Mechanical interaction with a given environment is vital when a sense of presence is desired, or when a user wishes to manipulate objects within a remote or virtual environment with manual dexterity. The haptic display, or force-reflecting interface, is the robotic device that allows the user to interact with a virtual environment or teleoperated remote system. The haptic interface consists of a real-time display of a virtual or remote environment and a manipulator, which serves as the interface between the human operator and the simulation. The application of haptic interfaces in areas such as computer-aided design (CAD) and manufacturing (CAD/CAM), design prototyping, and allowing users to manipulate virtual objects before manufacturing them enhances production evaluation. Along the same lines, the users of simulators for training in surgical procedures, control panel operations, and hostile work environments benefit from such a capability. Haptic interfaces can also be employed to provide force feedback during execution of remote tasks such as telesurgery or hazardous waste removal. With such a wide range of applications, the benefits of haptic feedback are easily recognizable.