A Pneumatically-Actuated Mouse for Delivering Multimodal Haptic Feedback

Abstract

Most of the information a user obtains through a computer is visual and/or auditory. Providing synchronized haptic information in addition to visual and/or auditory information can significantly enhance user experience and perception of virtual objects. In this paper, we propose a pneumatically-controlled haptic mouse that can replace a conventional computer mouse and deliver multimodal haptic feedback using a single end-effector. The haptic mouse can deliver distinct haptic feedback, i.e., static pressure, high frequency vibrations, and impact response. It has a dual-layered silicone housing with two air chambers. The outer layer is stretchable, and when pumped with air, changes in size and delivers feedback directly to the hand. The inner layer is non-stretchable, and is used to hold the form of the haptic mouse. Various experiments were conducted to quantify the characteristics of haptic mouse. The haptic mouse can generate a static pressure of up to 0.6 Gs, vibrations up to 250 Hz, and provides a max actuation delay of 23 ms. Based on those characteristics, haptic geometry and texture rendering algorithms were developed. These algorithms were used to render virtual shapes and textures and were evaluated using a psychophysical experiment. The results show that participants were able to successfully identify the geometries and textures in most cases.