Force Sensitive Handles and Capacitive Touch Sensor for Driving a Flexible Haptic-Based Immersive System

Abstract

In this article, we present an approach that uses both two force sensitive handles (FSH) and a flexible capacitive touch sensor (FCTS) to drive a haptic-based immersive system. The immersive system has been developed as part of a multimodal interface for product design. The haptic interface consists of a strip that can be used by product designers to evaluate the quality of a 3D virtual shape by using touch, vision and hearing and, also, to interactively change the shape of the virtual object. Specifically, the user interacts with the FSH to move the virtual object and to appropriately position the haptic interface for retrieving the six degrees of freedom required for both manipulation and modification modalities. The FCTS allows the system to track the movement and position of the user's fingers on the strip, which is used for rendering visual and sound feedback. Two evaluation experiments are described, which involve both the evaluation and the modification of a 3D shape. Results show that the use of the haptic strip for the evaluation of aesthetic shapes is effective and supports product designers in the appreciation of the aesthetic qualities of the shape.

Wearable Monitoring Devices for Biomechanical Risk Assessment at Work: Current Status and Future Challenges—A Systematic Review

“…Finally, it is interesting to also report haptic tools which consist of physical bendable strips allowing users to manipulate and apply deformations to digital surfaces and to move and rotate virtual objects. Such device allows a continuous, free hand contact on a developable strip bent allowing to industrial designers and stylists to perform an effective assessment of the aesthetic quality of the shape of new products and also its modification, directly on the digital prototype without the need to construct a physical prototype [ 133 , 134 , 135 ].…”

A hand gestural interaction system for handling a desktop haptic strip for shape rendering

“…In addition, the users have recognized the effectiveness of the strip in communicating thoroughly the idea of the shape of the object that they were seeing. Detailed information of the specific questions and answers and other human factor aspects of the evaluation can be found in [41]. In this paper, we intend to highlight that users considered the gesture recognition interaction helping them to move and interact with virtual objects in order to render the real curve through the Desktop Haptic Strip for Shape Rendering (DHSSR).…”

Finger displacement sensing: FEM simulation and modelling of a customizable three-layer electrode design

“…Sensing technologies that could be used for the finger motion detection mainly include inertial sensor based technology, Electromyography (EMG) [7,8], vision based systems [9], magnetic sensor based technology, depth based technology [10][11][12][13], glove based systems [10,[13][14][15], robotaided technology [14] as well as capacitive sensing technology [5,15,16]. Capacitive sensors provide the possibility of noncontact detection, which means it is capable of calculating the proximity of an object without a sensing element attached to the object.…”