Extension of an electrostatic visuo-haptic display to provide softness sensation

This paper proposes a mechanism of a contact pad for an electrostatic visuo-haptic display that can provide softness sensation to vertical pushing as well as lateral reaction force to lateral exploration. The authors have proposed a haptic display that can provide lateral force feedback with electroadhesion via contact pads on a visual screen. By modifying the mechanism of the pad to deform to enwrap a finger, the haptic display can be extended to provide softness sensation to vertical pushing. By using electroadhesion brake which is controlled as function of the normal pushing force, the mechanism can control the provided softness sensation in the contact area control manner. The characteristics of the proposed mechanism is discussed through the model analysis and the experiment with the fabricated prototype. Psychophysical experiment verifies the proposed concept.