Institutional Repository
Technical University of Crete
Technical University of Crete
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| URI: | http://purl.tuc.gr/dl/dias/A37BF234-D6D9-47A7-B39E-51820AF0DB25 | ||
| Year | 2023 | ||
| Type of Item | Master Thesis | ||
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| Bibliographic Citation | Michail Roumeliotis, "A lightweight haptic glove for enriched tactile feedback, including normal indentation, lateral skin stretch, and precise softness and hardness kinesthetic rendering in 3D interactive applications", Master Thesis, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technical University of Crete, Chania, Greece, 2023 https://doi.org/10.26233/heallink.tuc.97871 | ||
| Appears in Collections |
Current haptic devices typically rely solely on vibrations to provide tactile feedback, which addresses just one aspect of cutaneous sensation. Moreover, existing devices for kinesthetic feedback often involve bulky and cumbersome exoskeletons that limit users' mobility. This thesis introduces an innovative haptic glove that is lightweight, flexible, and easy to wear. It offers realistic tactile feedback by incorporating normal indentation, lateral skin stretch, and vibrations, along with high-fidelity kinesthetic feedback through strings manipulated by servo motors.Unlike current systems, this haptic glove is cost-effective, using small vibration motors embedded in the fingertips to deliver tactile feedback. Additionally, it generates normal indentation and shear forces by employing moving platforms to apply pressure to the skin. The kinesthetic feedback is achieved through small strings attached to servo motors placed on the glove, simulating both soft and hard virtual object manipulation. Controlled by a compact microcontroller, the glove receives input from a computer, which sends commands to the motors and actuators.To evaluate these features, three 3D interactive applications were created using the Unity game engine, where the users performed different tasks and were able to interact and feel various haptic cues. These interactive applications that have been developed can be seamlessly adapted into a 3D or gaming application for Virtual Reality (VR) or Augmented Reality (AR) headsets, as well as for mobile platforms, with minimal software adjustments required.Study results suggest that users can better perceive directional information and surface geometry when fingertip vibration is incorporated. Furthermore, users excel in distinguishing softness levels when the differences in softness are distinct.
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