Haptic footstep display

We present a proof-of-concept haptic device designed to provide a seated person with haptic cues to simulate the sensation of walking. By taking advantage of the cyclic nature of walking, the device uses cams to translate rotational motion from a motor to cyclic pressure variations on the bottom of the foot. The cam-follower arrangement actuates a set of plates that move up and down, pressing on the soles of the feet to generate the required pattern of forces. Cam profiles were designed using actual data of walking pressure distributions. An active virtual environment, depicting the user walking, is coupled to the system to display the rolling sensation on the bottom of the feet in tandem with footsteps taken in the virtual environment.