Haptic Reproduction by Pneumatic Control Method Based on Load-Displacement Profile

It is known that the pressure and contact area change contribute to hard and soft perception as a cutaneous sensation. In this study, we propose a novel method of haptic presentation based on the profiles of physical objects by using the load-displacement measurement. We fabricated a pneumatic haptic system with an elastic membrane that enables controlled pressure stimuli. We verified that the proposed method is capable of reproducing various profiles by comparing with physical objects. As a result, we found that our system could well reproduce the load-displacement profiles of a sponge and a button specimen.