The role of mechanical properties on the behaviour and performance of multi-dof haptic devices

The dynamics behaviour of haptic interfacing can significantly depend on the mechanical properties of the haptic device. A systematic framework is outlined in this paper for the development of representative models to characterize the mechanical effects. These models reflect the influence of overall system properties in a parametric form. It is shown that simplified models can be representative in different regions of the virtual environment parameters and operating conditions. Closed-form stability conditions are obtained, which extend the linear stability conditions commonly used in the literature. Using these, quantitative performance measures can be established for the performance of haptic interfaces, which reflect the effect of mechanical design parameters.