Integration of a tactile display in teleoperation of a soft robotic finger using model based tactile feedback

Tactile feedback is a key modality in object exploration and manipulation. However it has not been satisfactorily addressed in master-slave teleoperation. One of the reasons is that current tactile displays do not satisfy the stringent performance and design requirements for integration in master haptic devices. This paper presents the integration of a compact, high performance tactile display in a teleoperation setup. In this scenario the tactile display provides tactile feedback while remote objects are being contacted through a soft robotic finger. The display is mounted on a force feedback master device, which controls a manipulator equipped with a force sensor and a soft finger. Force feedback and tactile feedback are combined in a hybrid approach. Force feedback on the master reflects the measured remote interaction forces while tactile feedback is model based. This hybrid feedback method can provide force and tactile information in cases of highly structured teleoperation scenes where tactile sensing is absent or rudimentary while accurate environment models exist. An experiment is presented where users teleoperated the robot finger in a 3D contour following task with and without tactile feedback. Subjects´ performances indicate an improvement in teleoperation when both tactile and force feedback are present.