Haptic device and interface to reproduce force and tactile feedback of biological tissues

Abstract

Haptic information of biological tissues is important in applications and research in medical fields, including force and tactile feedback. Due to resource limitation, various biological tissues may not be easily accessible, so as to hinder their haptic research and development. Therefore, in this paper, force and tactile feedback of five pig tissue samples are respectively reproduced by using a combination of haptic device and interface. Specifically, the haptic device is used to reproduce the force-displacement relationship, while the haptic interface is used to provide various and controllable touch sensations to human fingers. First, the force-displacement relationships of five pig tissue samples are derived via compression tests. Second, the haptic device with two springs and a customized raceway is designed, modeled, and fabricated. Third, compression tests are performed on the haptic device to verify its reproduction accuracy. Later, the pneumatic haptic interface is designed and fabricated. Last, the haptic device and interface are combined and tested. The proposed haptic device and interface can provide accurate force feedback as well as various and controllable tactile feedback to human fingers.