Development and Control of an MR Brake-Based Passive Force Feedback Data Glove

This paper presents the development and feedback force control of a safe, lightweight, yet powerful, and stable passive force feedback data glove (FFDG), utilizing a disc-type magnetorheological (MR) brake as the force feedback device. Firstly, a detailed illustration of the mechanical design of the FFDG, including transmission structure, MR brake, and angle measuring mechanism, is presented. Then, to achieve a precise feedback force control, the design and modelling of a current controller based on the buck circuit are carried out. This is followed by the tracking control of the feedback force, using conventional PID and adaptive fuzzy-PID control schemes. The control effect of the two methods is evaluated and compared through simulations. Finally, an experimental set-up is established, and a series of experiments are carried out on both the manufactured MR brake and the FFDG prototype. The results verify the feasibility and stability of the developed FFDG, and demonstrate that the feedback force tracking accuracy of the adaptive fuzzy-PID controller is satisfactory.