Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “haptic”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

Soft Robotic Glove System for Wearable Haptic Teleoperation - 18373

Managing nuclear waste is a difficult, dangerous, and costly task. Teleoperation of robotic operators is an important functionality for this application, allowing robotic devices to operate in dangerous environments while still leveraging the existing abilities and technical knowledge of human workers. One difficulty in implementing effective teleoperation systems is that human operators rely on more senses beside sight: in particular, touch. The sense of touch could provide significant benefits for teleoperation, preventing environmental mishaps that could cost millions of dollars. To help remedy this problem, we present a soft haptic feedback glove system. The primary functionality of this system is to provide tactile and force feedback on the user's hands. This was achieved using custom cylindrical pneumatic actuators. These actuators consist of plastic sheeting folded into a hollow-walled cylinder which is connected to a pressure source. When pressurized, the cylinder walls expand and the cylinder straightens, with the force being related to the pressure. The glove system has one of these actuators over each of the user's three main fingers (index, middle, and thumb), where pressurizing the actuator applies a reaction force to the finger of the user, mimicking the resistance of a grasped object. The expansion of these actuators also causes them to physically press against the user's fingers, giving them the feeling of contact. To demonstrate the usability of this system, we implemented a virtual environment in V-REP simulating the interactions between a robotic Jaco Arm and a floating ball. This simulation receives hand and figure positions from the haptic glove and used them to drive the state of the simulated Jaco Arm. In response to the interactions between the Jaco and the floating ball, the simulation returns commands to the glove, instructing it to pressurize or depressurize its actuators as appropriate, allowing the user to feel the ball in their hand. We tested users in their ability to prevent the ball from floating away using this system with and without the haptic feedback. Results show that the addition of haptic feedback significantly improved the ability of users to interact precisely with the environment. We also used the finger positions of the haptic glove to control a physical robotic hand, and demonstrated the system's usability for control of real robots, though the lack of sensors on the robot made providing the tactile feedback impractical. However, there is more to grasping and holding an object than just the feeling of contact and the resistance to closing one's hand. The weight of the object will apply forces to the user's other joints as they hold it. To this end, we added a haptic feedback device for the user's wrist, a technique that can be generalized to the user's other joints. This is made up of reverse Pneumatic Artificial Muscles (rPAMs) stretching across the wrist between mounts on the hand and forearm. These rPAM actuators are tubes of silicone wrapped in thread such that they extend when pressurized. This extension can apply torque on the user's wrist, mimicking the feeling of gravity, or allowing the simulation of additional contact forces (such as the user's hand impacting an object). We tested this wrist device independently using a simulated path-following experiment. Users showed a significant improvement in performance when aided by haptic feedback during sinusoidal path experiments, demonstrating the usability of this approach. We then integrated the two systems, further demonstrating the usability of this approach. This project represents the first step towards a more effective robotic teleoperation system, allowing skilled human workers to perform tasks more effectively while remaining out of danger. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2023

Skin-integrated stretchable actuators toward skin-compatible haptic feedback and closed-loop human-machine interactions

Abstract Skin-integrated haptic interfaces that can relay a wealth of information from the machine to the human are of great interest. However, existing haptic devices are not yet able to produce haptic cues that are compatible with the skin. In this work, we present the stretchable soft actuators for haptic feedback, which can match the perception range, spatial resolution, and stretchability of the skin. Pressure-amplification structures are fabricated using a scalable self-assembly process to ensure an output pressure beyond the skin perception threshold. Due to the minimized device size, the actuator array can be fabricated with a sufficiently high spatial resolution, which makes the haptic device applicable for skin locations with the highest spatial acuity. A haptic feedback system is demonstrated by employing the developed soft actuators and highly sensitive pressure sensors. Two proof-of-concept applications are developed to illustrate the capability of transferring information related to surface textures and object shapes acquired at the robot side to the user side.

Chen, Si↗
DOE OSTI2021

TangibleData: Interactive Data Visualization with Mid-Air Haptics

In this paper, we investigate the effects of mid-air haptics in interactive 3D data visualization. We build an interactive 3D data visualization tool that adapts hand gestures and mid-air haptics to provide tangible interaction in VR using ultrasound haptic feedback on 3D data visualization. We consider two types of 3D visualization datasets and provide different data encoding methods for haptic representations. Two user experiments are conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of our approach. The first experimental results show that adding a mid-air haptic modality can be beneficial regardless of noise conditions and useful for handling occlusion or discerning density and volume information. The second experiment results further show the strengths and weaknesses of direct touch and indirect touch modes. Our findings can shed light on designing and implementing a tangible interaction on 3D data visualization with mid-air haptic feedback.

Bhardwaj, Ayush↗
DOE OSTI2016

The use of haptic interfaces and web services in crystallography: an application for a `screen to beam' interface

Haptic interfaces have become common in consumer electronics. They enable easy interaction and information entry without the use of a mouse or keyboard. Our work illustrates the application of a haptic interface to crystallization screening in order to provide a natural means for visualizing and selecting results. By linking this to a cloud-based database and web-based application program interface, the same application shifts the approach from `point and click' to `touch and share', where results can be selected, annotated and discussed collaboratively. Furthermore, in the crystallographic application, given a suitable crystallization plate, beamline and robotic end effector, the resulting information can be used to close the loop between screening and X-ray analysis, allowing a direct and efficient `screen to beam' approach. The application is not limited to the area of crystallization screening; `touch and share' can be used by any information-rich scientific analysis and geographically distributed collaboration.

96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION↗
DOE OSTI2022

Multichannel haptic feedback unlocks prosthetic hand dexterity

Abstract Loss of tactile sensations is a major roadblock preventing upper limb-absent people from multitasking or using the full dexterity of their prosthetic hands. With current myoelectric prosthetic hands, limb-absent people can only control one grasp function at a time even though modern artificial hands are mechanically capable of individual control of all five digits. In this paper, we investigated whether people could precisely control the grip forces applied to two different objects grasped simultaneously with a dexterous artificial hand. Toward that end, we developed a novel multichannel wearable soft robotic armband to convey artificial sensations of touch to the robotic hand users. Multiple channels of haptic feedback enabled subjects to successfully grasp and transport two objects simultaneously with the dexterous artificial hand without breaking or dropping them, even when their vision of both objects was obstructed. Simultaneous transport of the objects provided a significant time savings to perform the deliveries in comparison to a one-at-a-time approach. This paper demonstrated that subjects were able to integrate multiple channels of haptic feedback into their motor control strategies to perform a complex simultaneous object grasp control task with an artificial limb, which could serve as a paradigm shift in the way prosthetic hands are operated.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Haptic seat for fuel economy feedback

A process of providing driver fuel economy feedback is disclosed in which vehicle sensors provide for haptic feedback on fuel usage. Such sensors may include one or more of a speed sensors, global position satellite units, vehicle pitch/roll angle sensors, suspension displacement sensors, longitudinal accelerometer sensors, throttle position in sensors, steering angle sensors, break pressure sensors, and lateral accelerometer sensors. Sensors used singlely or collectively can provide enhanced feedback as to various environmental conditions and operating conditions such that a more accurate assessment of fuel economy information can be provided to the driver.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2018

The Design and Performance of Low Cost Haptic Interfaces to Control Precision Nuclear Robotic System - 18351

Nuclear decommissioning environments are challenging and hazardous, typically involving high temperatures, pressures and extreme radiation. Robotic devices are commonly used to complete tasks within challenging environments, which would otherwise pose a risk to human health, however remotely operating robots without full three-dimensional vision is challenging, and operators of robotic systems require extensive training to enable precise navigation through three-dimensional environments using multiple two-dimensional views for feedback. This project explores the possibility of using a human arm as a master device for controlling a variety of low-cost slave robots, with the aim of reducing training times whilst providing a cheaper, more intuitive control system. Virtual Reality (VR) and haptics are used as an aid for navigation of the remote environment, whilst also providing a digital twin for the operator to enable real-time feedback from the slave robot. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2024

Synthesis and Characterization of Uranium Complexes Supported by Substituted Aryldimethylsilylanilide Ligands

Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of substituted aryldimethylsilyldiisopropylanilide ligands and their respective bisamido complexes of U(III), (3,5-R 2 -PhMe 2 SiNDipp) 2 UI(dioxane) x (1, R = H, x= 0; 2, R = Me, x = 0; 3, R = t Bu, x = 1). We found that the steric bulk of the 3,5-R 2 -Ph ring affects the hapticity of the U–arene interaction. In the solid-state, 1 is a U–(η 6 -arene) complex, while 2 is a bis(U–(η 1 -arene)) complex. Theoretically calculated bond orders at PBE0 and PBE0-D3 levels of theory support these hapticity assignments. The 3,5- t Bu 2 -Ph rings of 3 are too bulky to interact with U and solid-state metrical parameters initially suggested a U–(η 1 -arene) interaction with one of the Dipp rings. However, bond order calculations show that this interaction is even weaker than in the previously reported ((PhMe 2 Si) 2 N) 3 U complex, leading to the conclusion that 3 is best described as a U–(η o -arene) complex. Molecular orbital analyses in conjunction with electron localization methods reveal that the U–(η 6 -arene) bonding in 1 is primarily electrostatic in nature. Some charge transfer takes place from the arene π orbitals to the U 6d/5f hybrid orbitals in addition to subtle δ-back-bonding. In 2 and 3, both π and δ interactions are substantially weaker, in agreement with the differences in the U–arene coordination modes. Surprisingly, attempts to generate less sterically bulky (3,5-R 2 -PhMe 2 SiNPh) 2 UI complexes results in disproportionation to homoleptic tetraamido (3,5-R 2 -PhMe 2 SiNPh) 4 U(IV) (4, R = H; 5, R = Me) complexes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Regulating hydrogel mechanical properties with an electric field

Stimuli-responsive polymeric materials have attracted significant attention due to their ability to change properties in response to various external stimuli. Using an electric field as the stimulus is of particular interest as it possesses the potential for seamless integration of materials with electronic systems. While many materials with electric field responsive actuation have an associated mechanical property change, it is beneficial to develop materials that exhibit mechanical property changes without accompanying significant shape deformation. To address this challenge, here we designed a semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) hydrogel system containing both polyelectrolytes and salt ions, which enables electric field induced changes in mechanical properties while minimizing actuation. We first successfully verified the viability of our design by removing salt ions through a diffusion-only method where we witnessed the stiffness increased to 4.5 times the initial value while still being highly deformable. After this, we applied an electric field to transport the salt ions out of the hydrogel, as shown by both Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. We were able to show a time-dependent stiffness increase, the maximum of which was 5 times the original stiffness. We quantified ion transport and water-splitting in the hydrogel by both experiments and simulations. Following this, we showed functional system reversibility by reversing the direction of the current to reinject salt ions into the semi-IPN hydrogel and reducing its stiffness to below the initial value. It's worth noting that our simulations enable us to understand the governing mechanisms behind ion generation and salt transport that leads to mechanical property changes. Finally, we were able to fabricate a spatially variable stiffness haptic interface with our hydrogel, with demonstrated reversibility and cyclability. This research can possibly find applications in soft robotics and haptics and also inspire the development of bio-compatible electronics related devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Interface Modalities

Because digital maps are dynamic in their output and responsive to user input, a central yet relatively recent concern in modern cartography and visualization is the design of the user interface that connects the user to the map (and thus to the information contained within the map). Digital maps are primarily driven by point-and-clicks of a mouse and primarily display the results of the interaction visually on a screen. However, there exist several other modalities that can be employed to interact with a digital map. While visual output and mouse input will likely endure, novel approaches for haptic and audio feedback, gesture and speech input, and other modalities have been developed, particularly in response to the demands of diverse uses, and needs of diverse users of maps. These comprise the multiple interface modalities associated with cartography and geographic visualization.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Systematic Design and Experimental Demonstration of Transmission-Type Multiplexed Acoustic Metaholograms

Acoustic holograms have promising applications in sound-field reconstruction, particle manipulation, ultrasonic haptics, and therapy. This study reports on the theoretical, numerical, and experimental investigation of multiplexed acoustic holograms at both audio and ultrasonic frequencies via a rationally designed transmission-type acoustic metamaterial. The proposed metahologram is composed of two Fabry–Pérot resonant channels per unit cell, which enables the simultaneous modulation of the transmitted amplitude and phase at two desired frequencies. In contrast to conventional acoustic metamaterial-based holograms, the design strategy proposed here provides a new degree of freedom (frequency) that can actively tailor holograms that are otherwise completely passive and significantly enhances the information encoded in acoustic metamaterials. To demonstrate the multiplexed acoustic metamaterial, the projection of two different high-quality metaholograms is first shown at 14 and 17 kHz, with the patterns of the letters N and S. Then, two-channel ultrasound focusing and annular beams generation for the incident ultrasonic frequencies of 35 and 42.5 kHz are demonstrated. Furthermore, these multiplexed acoustic metaholograms offer a technical advance to tackle the rising challenges in the fields of acoustic metamaterials, architectural acoustics, and medical ultrasound.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Mechanical Actuation via Homeomorphic Transformations of Topological Solitons within Polymer Coatings

Abstract Topological solitons are currently under investigation for their exotic properties, especially in nonlinear physics, optics, and material sciences. However, challenges of robust generation and limited stability over time have hindered their practical uses. To address this issue, an approach is developed to form structured arrays of solitons in films of polymerizable liquid crystals. Their complex molecular architecture is preserved by in situ photopolymerization forming a stable liquid crystal network. Most excitingly, their properties are advanced to include responsiveness functions. When thermally actuated, these topological solitons mediate the reconfiguration of surface topographies. Complex shape changes occur depending on the intrinsic complex spatial distribution of the director, which may even lead to full shape inversion and topographical changes as high as ≈40% of the initial thickness. Conversely, the shape changes provide information on the initial director profile, which is consistent with the mathematical model. The soliton‐containing polymer coatings are applicable in multiple domains, ranging from tunable optics to haptics, and from shape‐coupled sensing systems to temperature‐coupled heat management.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Quantum chemical study of the structures and dynamic behavior of tricarbonyl complexes of Group 6 metals (Cr, Mo, W) with polyaromatic hydrocarbons using the density functional theory

The quantum chemical study of the mechanism was performed for tricarbonyl η{sup 6}-complexes of coronene I-M and kekulene II-M (M = Cr, Mo, W) by the density functional method. The activation barriers of η{sup 6},η{sup 6}-interring haptotropic rearrangements (IHR), being the migration of the metaltricarbonyl group M(CO){sub 3} from one six-membered aromatic ring to another, were determined. The processes of η{sup 6},η{sup 6}-IHR in the metal tricarbonyl complexes with relatively high polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) I and II occur with close energy barriers (ΔG{sup ≠} ≈ 20—25 kcal mol{sup –1}), which are lower than the barriers (ΔG{sup ≠} ~ 30 kcal mol{sup –1}) of similar transformations measured or calculated earlier for the chromium tricarbonyl complexes of naphthalene and its derivatives and other PAH. For the molybdenum tricarbonyl complexes the activation barriers of η{sup 6},η{sup 6}-IHR decrease additionally by ~ 5 kcal mol{sup –1} compared to those for the chromium tricarbonyl complexes, whereas for the tungsten tricarbonyl complexes they increase again and become approximately equal to the activation barriers of similar chromium tricarbonyl complexes. All stationary states on the potential energy surface determining the mechanism of η{sup 6},η{sup 6}-IHR are characterized by a decrease in hapticity compared to the initial and final complexes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

M IV /Co –I (M = Zr, Hf) Bis(phosphinoamide) Complexes with η 6 - and η 4 -Arenes

Despite their relevance to catalysis, low-/subvalent cobalt complexes are difficult to synthesize and isolate. Consequently, very few “cobaltate” complexes are known and there is a lack of architectural diversity in this field. Lewis acidic d 0 group IV metals have been demonstrated to stabilize Co –I centers via metal–metal bonds. Herein, we report the synthesis of bis(phosphinoamide) heterobimetallic M IV /Co –I arene complexes (M = Zr, Hf). The driving force to maintain the aromaticity of the arenes dictates the hapticity of the Co-bound arene ligands and influences the binding arrangement of the phosphinoamide ligands. Benzene and toluene were observed to bind η 6 to the Co –I center, forcing dissociation of one of the phosphinoamide ligands, whereas η 4 -coordination of anthracene allows both phosphinoamide ligands to remain bound to the Co center. The identity of both the arene and the group IV metal ion starkly influence the lability of the arene. For instance, the Co-bound benzene ligand in the Zr IV /Co –I benzene complex rapidly exchanges with C 6 D 6 in solution, whereas toluene/C 6 D 6 exchange is much slower and appreciable C 6 H 6 /C 6 D 6 exchange is not observed for the Hf analogue. The Zr IV /Co –I benzene complex loses benzene upon repeated exposure to vacuum to form an arene-free tetrametallic dimer.

aromatic compounds↗
DOE OSTI2020

Highly dispersed Co deposited on Al 2 O 3 particles via CoCp 2 + H 2 ALD

Highly dispersed cobalt atoms were deposited on porous alumina particles using atomic layer deposition (ALD) with a CoCp 2 /H 2 chemistry at approximately 7 wt%. H 2 did not completely reduce the cyclopentadienyl organic ligands bound to deposited Co atoms at ALD reaction conditions. A sharp decline in Co deposited per cycle for two or more ALD cycles indicates that much of the Al 2 O 3 surface is sterically blocked from further CoCp 2 deposition after the first CoCp 2 exposure. Temperature programmed reduction confirmed that the adsorbed precursor organic ligands persist after H 2 exposures during ALD and temperatures as high as 500 °C are required to fully reduce the organic ligands to CH 4 . High resolution, element sensitive imaging showed that Co atoms were dispersed on the Al 2 O 3 surface and could deposit in previously unobserved multiple growth morphologies, specifically layers that were continuous over several angstroms or discrete nanoparticles. Density functional theory calculations were used to examine Co atom adsorption, show the altered haptic binding of cracked Cp ligands, and to calculate the thermodynamics of Cp ligand decomposition. The lateral steric hindrance between organic ligands bound to deposited Co atoms, Cp ligand decomposition mechanism, and local Al 2 O 3 surface termination all likely determine the observed Co growth morphology during initial ALD cycles.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Small-scale roughness entraps water and controls underwater adhesion

While controlling underwater adhesion is critical for designing biological adhesives and in improving the traction of tires, haptics, or adhesives for health monitoring devices, it is hindered by a lack of fundamental understanding of how the presence of trapped water impedes interfacial bonding. Here, by using well-characterized polycrystal diamond surfaces and soft, nonhysteretic, low–surface energy elastomers, we show a reduction in adhesion during approach and four times higher adhesion during retraction as compared to the thermodynamic work of adhesion. Our findings reveal how the loading phase of contact is governed by the entrapment of water by ultrasmall (10-nanometer-scale) surface features. In contrast, the same nanofeatures that reduce adhesion during approach serve to increase adhesion during separation. The explanation for this counterintuitive result lies in the incompressibility-inextensibility of trapped water and the work needed to deform the polymer around water pockets. Unlike the well-known viscoelastic contribution to adhesion, this science unlocks strategies for tailoring surface topography to enhance underwater adhesion.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗