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HOMO-HAPTICUS.DE - BOOK HUMAN HAPTIC PERCEPTION, GRUNWALD M (ED.) - BIRKHÄUSER

History of haptic interface

Hiroo Iwata

is evoked by those receptors. Mechanoreceptors

Introduction of skin are classified into four types: Merkel
disks, Ruffini capsules, Meissner corpuscles,
It is well known that sense of touch is inevi- and Pacinian corpuscles. These receptors detect
table for understanding the real world. The use edge of object, skin stretch, velocity, and vibra-
of force feedback to enhance computer-human tion respectively.
interaction has often been discussed. A haptic The tactile display that stimulates skin sen-
interface is a feedback device that generates sation is a well-known technology. It has been
sensation to the skin and muscles, including a applied to communication aids for blind person
sense of touch, weight and rigidity. Compared to as well as master system of teleoperators. A
ordinary visual and auditory sensations, haptics sense of vibration is relatively easy to produce,
is difficult to synthesise. Visual and auditory sen- and a good deal of work has been done using
sations are gathered by specialised organs, the vibration displays [1, 2]. The micro-pin array is
eyes and ears. On the other hand, a sensation of also used for tactile displays. Such a device has
force can occur at any part of the human body, enabled the provision of a teltaction and com-
and is therefore inseparable from actual physi- munication aid for blind persons [3, 4]. It has the
cal contact. These characteristics lead to many ability to convey texture or 2-D geometry [5].
difficulties when developing a haptic interface. The major role of tactile display is to convey
Visual and auditory media are widely used in sense of fine texture of object’s surface. The lat-
everyday life, although little application of haptic est research activities of tactile display focus on
interface is used for information media. selective stimulation of mechanoreceptors of
Haptic interface presents synthetic stimu- skin. As mentioned at the beginning of this sec-
lation to proprioception and skin sensation. tion, there are four types of mechanoreceptors in
Proprioception is complemented by mechano- the skin: Merkel disks, Ruffini Capsules, Meissner
receptors of skeletal articulations and muscles. Corpuscles, and Pacinian Corpuscles. Stimulating
There are three types of joint position receptors: these receptors selectively, various tactile sensa-
free nerve ending as well as Ruffini and Pacinian tions such as roughness or slip can be presented.
corpuscles. Ruffini corpuscle detects static force. Micro air jet [6] and micro electrode array [7] are
On the other hand, Pacinian corpuscle has a used for selective stimulation.
function to measure acceleration of the joint These tactile display technologies cannot
angle. Position and motion of the human body stimulate proprioception, although it is inevita-
is perceived by these receptors. Force sensation ble to understand the real world as well as virtual
is derived from mechanoreceptors of muscles; environment. External force should be applied to
muscle spindles and Goldi tendons. These recep- stimulate mechanoreceptors of skeletal articula-
tors detect contact forces applied by an obstacle tions and muscles. Device for generation of such
in the environment. force has difficulty in its implementation. This
Skin sensation is derived from mechanorecep- chapter focuses on history of development of
tors and thermorecepters of skin. Sense of touch haptic interface that stimulate proprioception.

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 HOMO-HAPTICUS.DE - BOOK HUMAN HAPTIC PERCEPTION, GRUNWALD M (ED.) - BIRKHÄUSER
356 V. Haptic interfaces and devices

Figure 1. GROPE-I Figure 2. GROPE-III

giving the lowest potential energy of the docked

1990: Epoch of haptic interface combination.
Minsky developed a haptic system, called
There were several roots of haptic interface and Sandpaper, designed for experimenting with feel-
they were coincidently published in 1990. Brooks ing texture [10]. The force display technology
began in 1967 a project to develop visual+haptic used in the system was a motor-driven 2DOF
display for 6-D force fields of interacting protein joystick (Fig. 3). The software created very small
molecules [8, 9]. The first haptic system, GROPE- virtual springs which pull the user’s hand toward
1, employed 2-D movable platform (Fig. 1). A low regions and away from high regions of a tex-
small knob was attached to the platform that can ture’s depth map. It also created feel-able phys-
be positioned within a horizontal plane two inch- ics such as variable viscosity soups, springs, and
es square. Potentiometers sense its x and y posi- yo-yos. The research was the beginning of theory
tion; servomotors exert x and y force. Both are of haptic rendering.
connected to the computer driving an associated In 1988, the author started research into
visual display. This was the first haptic device design of haptic interface for natural interaction
that present virtual environment. Later they in virtual environment. We proposed a concept
introduced the Argonne ARM, a 6DOF (degree of the Desktop Force Display and the first proto-
of freedom) force reflective teleoperator. It was type was published in 1990 [11, 12]. The device
integrated with stereoscopic large screen (Fig. applies force to the fingertips as well as the palm.
2). The system was developed for the molecular Figure 4 shows overall view of the system. It was
docking task. The final system, GROPE-III, proved the first exoskeleton designed for haptic interac-
that force significantly contributes to the task tion in virtual environment.

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06_Part_V.indd 356 8.9.2008 15:48:13 Uhr