A high bandwidth interface for haptic human computer interaction

Current force feedback, haptic interface devices are generally limited to t he display of low frequency, high amplitude spatial data, A typical device consists of a low impedance framework of one or more degrees-of-freedom (do f), allowing a user to explore a predefined workspace via an end effector s uch as a handle, thimble, probe or stylus. The movement of the device is th en constrained using high gain positional feedback, thus reducing the appar ent dof of the device and conveying the illusion of hard contact to the use r. Such devices are, however, limited to a narrow bandwidth of frequencies, typically below 30 Hz, and are not well suited to the display of surface p roperties, such as object texture. This paper details a device to augment a n existing force feedback haptic display with a vibrotactile display, thus providing a means of conveying low amplitude, high frequency spatial inform ation of object surface properties. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All righ ts reserved.