FORCE TRANSDUCTION MATERIALS FOR HUMAN-TECHNOLOGY INTERFACES

Various approaches to sensing forces and generating forces are present ed in the context of building human-technology interfaces capable of c ommunicating force information, Addressing the need for various types of force transducers, relevant classes of materials are reviewed, incl uding smart materials, electronic polymers, and magnetic materials, Ba sic physical limits and design trade-offs are given for building force sensors and actuators from these materials, In addition, the possibil ity of using force transduction as a means of generating electrical en ergy is also briefly discussed. Finally, two brief illustrative exampl es, ''power shoes'' and ''deformable surfaces,'' are also presented.