Proposal of a Haptic Device Capable of Presenting Friction and Vibration Stimulation to a Finger

Abstract

In recent years, haptics technologies that reproduce the sense of touch have attracted attention. In this study, we proposed a haptic device consisting of an electromagnet and a vibration device, aiming to present advanced tactile sensations by simultaneously presenting horizontal frictional and vertical vibration stimulations. The proposed device can present vertical and horizontal force to the finger according to the image on the display. We conducted a sensory test to determine which pattern gave the sensation of unevenness: magnetic friction only or magnetic friction with vibration stimulation. We showed that the pattern of magnetic friction with vibration stimulation may be more sensitive to the sensation of unevenness. In addition, the haptics device is presented tactile sensations simulating six types of objects using friction and vibration stimulation, and demonstrating the possibility of presenting tactile sensations.