A framework for the classification of dexterous haptic interfaces based on the identification of the most frequently used hand contact areas

F. Gonzalez (1) , F. Gosselin (1) , W. Bachta (2, 3)

1 DIASI - Département Intelligence Ambiante et Systèmes Interactifs
2 ISIR - Institut des Systèmes Intelligents et de Robotique
3 AGATHE - Assistance aux Gestes et Applications THErapeutiques

Haptic interfaces are purposed for the simulation of physical interactions with a virtual environment in a realistic way. Their design is often based on a compromise between the interaction capabilities and mechanical design complexity. This paper is aimed at providing a methodology that helps tuning this trade-off. A survey of both manipulation and exploration taxonomies allows the identification of elementary hand contact areas with their associated frequency of use. The relative importance of these areas is illustrated by the building of an interaction map for the hand. Some combinations of these elementary areas, with their frequency of use, are then organised into a graphical tree as a function of their complexity. This tree allows to review some existing devices and to propose some guidelines for improved designs.

Keywords: Systems Engineering; Contact surface; Design tradeoff; Frequency of use; Improved designs; Interaction maps; Mechanical design; Physical interactions; Forestry; Design; Haptic interfaces; Taxonomies; Virtual reality; Mice (computer peripherals); Contact areas; Dexterous haptic interfaces; Interaction taxonomies; Hand contact surfaces; Quantified design trade-off

Domains: Engineering Sciences [physics]; Automatic

F. Gonzalez, F. Gosselin, W. Bachta. A framework for the classification of dexterous haptic interfaces based on the identification of the most frequently used hand contact areas. 2013 IEEE World Haptics Conference (WHC 2013), Apr 2013, Daejeon, South Korea. pp.461-466, ⟨10.1109/WHC.2013.6548452⟩. ⟨cea-01841692⟩