Haptic Interfacing System Using Magnetorheological Fluids

This paper presents design and development of a haptic interfacing system working with magnetorheological fluids. This system consists of three interchangeable parts: a MR actuator, an interfacing circuitry, and a computer program. The MR actuator is optimally analyzed and designed with finite element simulation, by considering the effects of both magnetic field formation and MR effect formation mechanism. The computer screen is portioned in various segments and the controllable software monitors the attributed values of the voltage to the screen. The computer program, via the parallel port-interfacing circuitry, monitors the current through the electromagnet. Simultaneously, a sensor detects the knob position; the corresponding motion can be observed through a cursor on a computer display. An interactive program is written to demonstrate the working of the haptic interface system. It displays a series of colour bands across the screen, each representing an assigned resistive torque value. As the cursor enters these zones, the corresponding feedback signal is sent to the haptic device.