Mems Sensors Controlled Haptic Forefinger Robotic Aid
Mems Sensors Controlled Haptic Forefinger Robotic Aid
Journal of Advanced
Research
in Engineering RESEARCH
and Technology IN
(IJARET),
ISSN 0976
INTERNATIONAL
JOURNAL
OF ADVANCED
ENGINEERING
6480(Print), ISSN 0976 6499(Online)
Volume 5, Issue 10, October
(2014), pp. 45-54 IAEME
AND TECHNOLOGY
(IJARET)
IJARET
IAEME
Abhilasha Pachauri1,
1
Thriveni J1,
Venugopal K R1,
Patnaik L M2
ABSTRACT
The ability to feel the world through the tools we hold is Haptic Touch. The concept of
sensory elements transforming information into touch experience by interacting with things remotely
is motivating and challenging. This paper deals with the design and implementation of fore finger
direction based robot for physically challenged people, which follows the direction of the Forefinger.
The path way of the robot may be either point- to-point or continuous. This sensor detects the
direction of the forefinger and the output is transmitted via RF transmitter to the receiver unit. In the
receiver section RF receiver which receives corresponding signal will command the microcontroller
to move the robot in that particular direction. The design of the system includes microcontroller,
MEMS sensor and RF technology. The robot system receives the command from the MEMS sensor
which is placed on the fore finger at the transmitter section. Therefore the simple control mechanism
of the robot is shown. Experimental results for fore finger based directional robot are enumerated.
Keywords: Robotic Body, Wireless Technology, MEMS Sensor, Haptics.
1. INTRODUCTION
Haptics allows the users to touch and feel the objects which we can interact. It is a recent
enhancement to virtual environments allowing users the freedom to touch and feel. Haptics which
means, the science of touch is derived from the Greek word haptikos which means being able to
come into contact with. Virtual reality is a form of human-computer interaction (as opposed to
keyboard, mouse and monitor) providing a virtual environment that one can explore through direct
interaction with our senses. The study of haptics emerged from advances in virtual reality. To be able
to interact with an environment, there must be feedback. For example, the user should be able to
touch a virtual object and feel a response from it. This type of haptic feedback includes both tactile
and force feedback [1].
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International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology (IJARET), ISSN 0976
6480(Print), ISSN 0976 6499(Online) Volume 5, Issue 10, October (2014), pp. 45-54 IAEME
Haptics are applied on a wide range of devices. Haptic surgical simulators provide excellent
precision, which provide realistic forces that emulate the feel of a real medical procedure. Computer
gamers experience added realism to their favourite games with haptic enabled joysticks that allow
them to feel every bump, explosion, rumble, burst of gunfire and other vibration-based activity,
because of the force feedback.. Haptics is also emerging into cell phone design. The simple act of the
phone vibrating when a call is received is the most recognizable and rudimentary form of the haptics
technology. The clinical skills of medical professionals can be harvested better as they rely strongly
on the sense of touch, combined with anatomical and diagnostic knowledge [1].
1.1 Haptic Terminologies
Some of the haptic terminologies are
Vestibular-
Cutaneous
Tactile
Proprioceptive
Kinesthetic
Force Feedback
Many different terms with many different definitions are used throughout the literature to
describe haptic interaction. One reason for this is that the area is in its infancy. To rectify this
problem we propose a set of haptic definitions that should prove useful for further research in this
area. The word haptic has grown in popularity with the advent of touch in computing. We define
the human haptic system to consist of the entire sensory, motor and cognitive components of the
body-brain system. It is therefore closest to the meaning of proprioceptive.
Haptics can be broadly defined as anything related to the sense of touch. Haptic information
can be cutaneous and kinesthetic information. There is some overlap between these two categories;
critically both can convey the sensation of contact with an object. The distinction becomes important
however when we attempt to describe the emerging technology. In brief, a haptic device provides
position input like a mouse but also stimulates the sense of touch by applying output to the user in
the form of forces. Tactile devices affect the skin surface by stretching it or pulling it, for example.
Force feedback devices affect the finger, hand, or body position and movement. Using these
definitions devices can be categorised and understood by the sensory system that they primarily
affect.
1.2 Haptic Information
Characterization of the nature of haptic information, and how it is perceived, is necessary to
understand how medical professionals use haptics to enable learning and achieve high levels of
performance. Papers that explore haptic models of the patient, as well as perceptual or behavioural
aspects of the haptic modality relevant to medical examinations and procedures, are solicited. Haptic
systems and the role of haptics in training and evaluating clinical skills: Haptic simulators address a
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International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology (IJARET), ISSN 0976
6480(Print), ISSN 0976 6499(Online) Volume 5, Issue 10, October (2014), pp. 45-54 IAEME
growing need for effective training and evaluation of clinical skills [3]. Such simulators can be
applied in a wide variety of medical professions and disciplines, including surgery, interventional
radiology, anaesthesiology, dentistry, veterinary medicine, and the allied health professions. These
simulators rely on both technology development (devices, software, and systems) and an
understanding of how humans use haptic feedback to perform established clinical skills or learn
novel skills. Papers that address simulator development and/or evaluation from these perspectives are
solicited [1] [3].
1.3 Motivation, Contribution and Organization
Motivation: The need to develop a simple yet effective module with low cost and user effectiveness
for the need of physically challenged people.
Contribution: The proposed model is aimed at providing the basis for developing devices which are
aimed at physically challenged people and people with less mobility.
Organization: This technical paper is organized as follows: In Section 2 we present an overview of
the related work of the fore finger based, Section 3 gives the inspiration, Section 4 explains the
system Architecture, Section 5 gives the Hardware Design, Section 6 gives the System
Implementation, Section 7 includes the snapshots of the work and Section 8 concludes the paper with
Future enhancement discussion.
2. RELATED WORKS
2.1 Haptic Technology
Haptic Technology is the only solution which provides high range of interaction that cannot
be provided by virtual reality. The touch access technology is important till now. But Haptic
technology has totally changed this trend. This technology makes the future world as a sensible one.
Haptic technology enables users to simulate touch and utilize a new input as well as output
technology. Haptic Technology has a large scope in gaming and other applications including
pleasures. If the Haptic devices can be made more modular and simpler which in term makes them
lighter, simpler and easier to use who use them in gaming or other use [17].
2.2 Haptics in Robotics
In this paper, the main contribution is a novel controller that enables a robot arm to move
within an environment, while regulating contact forces across its entire surface. We present progress
towards new foundational capabilities for robot manipulation that take advantage of contact across
the entire arm. Humans make extensive contact with their forearms even during mundane tasks, such
as eating or working at a desk.. For example, when reaching into a bush, moderate contact forces are
unlikely to alter the robots arm or the bush in undesirable ways.
While some situations merit strict avoidance of contact with an object, we consider these to
be rare, and instead focus on control methods that allow contact. The primary assumption is that, for
a given robot, environment, and task, contact forces below some value have no associated penalty.
Likewise, even environments with fragile objects, such as glassware on a shelf, can permit low
contact forces. The controller assumes that contact forces can be sensed across the surface of the
arm, and that the arms joints can be modelled as linear torsion springs. At every step a quadratic
programming problem is solved that minimizes the predicted distance to a goal, subject to constraints
on the predicted changes in contact forces [12].
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International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology (IJARET), ISSN 0976
6480(Print), ISSN 0976 6499(Online) Volume 5, Issue 10, October (2014), pp. 45-54 IAEME
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International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology (IJARET), ISSN 0976
6480(Print), ISSN 0976 6499(Online) Volume 5, Issue 10, October (2014), pp. 45-54 IAEME
f=v/ p
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International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology (IJARET), ISSN 0976
6480(Print), ISSN 0976 6499(Online) Volume 5, Issue 10, October (2014), pp. 45-54 IAEME
4. SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE
The design (Fig. 2) of the robot consists of AT83S52 microcontroller, L293D driver circuit,
RF transmitter and receiver platform of the robot consists of metal chassis, 2 DC motors are used to
control the wheels. The body is interfaced with RF receiver section and microcontroller. It receives
the signals from the RF Transmitter section and operates the wheels of the robot where it can move
in all the four directions i.e.(forward, reverse, right and left). The transmitter section consists of
MEMS sensor (Fig. 1b) which is placed on fore finger, operates by changing the directions of the
finger (i.e. lower 90- forward, upper 90-reverse, clock wise 60-right, anti clock wise 60-left). These
directional changes will be transmitted to RF receiver at receiver section which is placed on robot
platform.
MEMS sensor
mounted on the
forefinger
Decoder
Encoder
Input
Power
supply
Crystal
oscillato
Microcontroller
Reset
Motor
Driver
Robot
platform
Output
5. HARDWARE DESIGN
The Hardware design consists of robot, microcontroller unit, MEMS sensor, LCD unit, and
RF transmitter and receiver unit. Robot platform is built up with metal chassis, 2 wheels attached to
2 DC motors, a load balancer and L293D driver circuit as shown in Figs. 3(a)-(b). The DC motor of
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International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology (IJARET), ISSN 0976
6480(Print), ISSN 0976 6499(Online) Volume 5, Issue 10, October (2014), pp. 45-54 IAEME
+12v, 60rpm is used for robot movements. The motors are driven by motor Drivers based on the
signal generated by microcontroller. L293D driver circuit is based on H-bridge concept, which is an
electronic circuit, enables a voltage to be applied across a load or motor in either direction. The Hbridge concept is generally used to reverse the polarity of DC motor, or causes a break where the
terminals of the motor are shorted or to let the motor free run to stop. Table 1 summarizes the
operation of H-bridge with H-L corresponding to Fig 3(b).
Ven=Low
Functions
C=High
D=Low
Forward
C=Low
D=High
Reverse
C=Dont Care
C=D=Dont Care
International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology (IJARET), ISSN 0976
6480(Print), ISSN 0976 6499(Online) Volume 5, Issue 10, October (2014), pp. 45-54 IAEME
8. CONCLUSIONS
In this paper we have implemented a robot which can be used by patients and people with
less mobility to move the wheel chair by using gyro sensors- MEMS Sensors in particular. The
design of the system includes microcontroller, MEMS sensor and RF technology. The MEMS sensor
is placed on the fore finger at the transmitter section which moves the Robot in the direction of the
Forefinger direction. This sensor detects the direction of Forefinger and the output is transmitted via
RF transmitter. In the receiver section RF receiver receives corresponding signal and will command
microcontroller to move the robot in that particular direction. Experimental results for fore finger
based directional robot are enumerated.
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International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology (IJARET), ISSN 0976
6480(Print), ISSN 0976 6499(Online) Volume 5, Issue 10, October (2014), pp. 45-54 IAEME
A. Future Enhancements
Design and implement a few haptic related projects for the benefit of physically challenged
people. This proposal develops an approach for haptic exploration of unknown objects by robotic
fingers. Because haptic exploration is coupled with manipulation and exploration using a sequence
of phases is presented. With specialized fingers and sensors and appropriate planning and control
robots can also be enabled to explore the worlds through touch.
Scope and Applications: Haptic exploration has applications in many areas including planetary
exploration, undersea operations, operations in remote and hazardous conditions. Applications of the
human haptic interaction, multi-sensory perception, action and multimodal feedback can be applied
in the fields of education, rehabilitation, medicine, computer aided design, skill training, computer
games, driver controls, simulation and visualization [21].
Haptics research has permeated many disciplines and application areas. Earliest efforts
focused on sensory substitution: stimulating the sense of touch to convey imagery or speech for
individuals with visual and/or auditory impairments. With the advent of force-feedback devices,
there have been renewed interests in using haptic interfaces in teleoperator systems and virtual
environments.
The successful deployment of haptic interfaces requires continuing advances in hardware
design, control, software algorithms, as well as our understanding of the human somato sensory
system. Priority areas include, but are by no means limited to:
1. Sensory guided motor control
2. Tactile display and tactile sensing
3. Devices & Technology
4. Neuroscience
5. Haptic Communication
6. Haptic rendering
7. Perception & psychophysics
8. Haptic cognition
9. Multimodal perception
Applications in entertainment, gaming, medicine, rehabilitation, education, data
perceptualization, art, rapid prototyping, remote collaboration, etc. [22].
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International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology (IJARET), ISSN 0976
6480(Print), ISSN 0976 6499(Online) Volume 5, Issue 10, October (2014), pp. 45-54 IAEME
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