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A Stretchable Electrostatic Tactile Surface

Naoto Takayanagi, Naoji Matsuhisa, Yuki Hashimoto, Yuta Sugiura

Abstract

Tactile sensation is essential for humans to recognize objects. Various devices have been developed in the past for tactile presentation by electrostatic force, which are easy to configure devices, but there is currently no such device that features stretchability. Considering that the device is worn over the joints of a human body or robot, it is extremely important that the device itself be stretchable. In this study, we propose a stretchable electrostatic tactile surface comprising a stretchable transparent electrode and a stretchable insulating film that can be stretched to a maximum of 50%. This means that when attached to the human body, this surface can respond to the expansion and contraction that occur due to joint movements. This surface can also provide tactile information in response to deformation such as pushing and pulling. As a basic investigation, we measured the lower limit of voltage that can be perceived by changing the configuration of the surface and evaluated the states of stretching and contraction. We also investigated and modeled the relationship between the voltage and the perceived intensity.

A Stretchable Electrostatic Tactile Surface

Abstract

Tactile sensation is essential for humans to recognize objects. Various devices have been developed in the past for tactile presentation by electrostatic force, which are easy to configure devices, but there is currently no such device that features stretchability. Considering that the device is worn over the joints of a human body or robot, it is extremely important that the device itself be stretchable. In this study, we propose a stretchable electrostatic tactile surface comprising a stretchable transparent electrode and a stretchable insulating film that can be stretched to a maximum of 50%. This means that when attached to the human body, this surface can respond to the expansion and contraction that occur due to joint movements. This surface can also provide tactile information in response to deformation such as pushing and pulling. As a basic investigation, we measured the lower limit of voltage that can be perceived by changing the configuration of the surface and evaluated the states of stretching and contraction. We also investigated and modeled the relationship between the voltage and the perceived intensity.
Paper Structure (27 sections, 2 equations, 9 figures)

This paper contains 27 sections, 2 equations, 9 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Related work
  3. Electrostatic Tactile Display
  4. Stretchable Sensors and Stretchable Electrodes
  5. Implementation
  6. Surface Construction
  7. Materials
  8. Fabrication Process
  9. Equipment Configuration
  10. Experiments 1, 2: Lower Perceivable Voltage Limit Investigation
  11. Experiment 1: Relationship between insulating layer thickness and lower perceptible voltage
  12. Purpose
  13. Conditions
  14. Results
  15. Experiment 2: Relationship between stretching state and lower perceptible voltage
  16. ...and 12 more sections

Figures (9)

  • Figure 1: Tactile surface proposed in this research as it is being stretched. The surface is sufficiently transparent and stretchable and can be applied on top of existing on-body input interfaces to add tactile feedback.
  • Figure 2: Overview of electrostatic tactile technology. When the user traces a surface, electrostatic forces change the friction between the hand and the surface, resulting in tactile sensations.
  • Figure 3: Composition of stretchable electrostatic tactile surface consisting of four layers (substrate 1, 2, conductive layer, and insulating layer). The surface is made by stacking each layer in turn on top of a glass plate.
  • Figure 4: Configuration of apparatus in Experiments 1--3. The voltage value and frequency of the AC voltage applied to tactile surfaces are controlled from a PC via mbed. The user wears a wristband for grounding.
  • Figure 5: Influence of insulation layer thickness on lower perceptible voltage limit
  • ...and 4 more figures