Noncontact Tactile Display Based on Radiation Pressure of Airborne Ultrasound

Abstract

This paper describes a tactile display which provides unrestricted tactile feedback in air without any mechanical contact. It controls ultrasound and produces a stress field in a 3D space. The principle is based on a nonlinear phenomenon of ultrasound: Acoustic radiation pressure. The fabricated prototype consists of 324 airborne ultrasound transducers, and the phase and intensity of each transducer are controlled individually to generate a focal point. The DC output force at the focal point is 16 mN and the diameter of the focal point is 20 mm. The prototype produces vibrations up to 1 kHz. An interaction system including the prototype is also introduced, which enables users to see and touch virtual objects.

Tactile Feedback for Above-Device Gesture Interfaces

“…Iwamoto et al [11] used an array of ultrasound transducers to focus sound upon a fixed point which could be felt as ultrasound reflected off skin. Later work [10] allowed the focal point to be moved in 3D space above the transducers. Carter et al [6] built on this work and created an ultrasound tactile display which could produce many focal points of feedback at the same time.…”

Evaluation of Multi-Electrode Effects on Electrovibration Tactile Stimulation

“…The tactile displays mainly base on mechanical stimulation and deform contacting skin to stimulate mechanoreceptors inside the skin, which perceive the stimuli, with displacement or vibration of actuators. [1][2][3][4] For example, Qi et al…”

Point-and-Shake

“…Phased ultrasound arrays have been used to generate a variety of mid-air haptic sensations (e.g., [2,7,8,9,12]), allowing users to experience tactile feedback from gesture systems. They have also been used to direct audio (e.g., Holographic Whisper [16]), to create the illusion of sound coming from remote objects or to direct audio feedback towards specific users.…”