Thermal bilateral coupling in teleoperators

This paper presents a new method and formalism to achieve thermal feedback for teleoperation and telepresence applications. The basic idea is to realize an approach similar to force reflecting telerobotics. That is to say, bilateral coupling between thermal temperature and thermal flux variables. Thermal properties and exchange during contact are modeled with their relating equations. Similarly to force feedback coupling, four potential controllers are possible; we implemented all of them using stable and linear control schemes. Experimental results show that some coupling are superior in terms of thermal transparency and stability. We used two Peltier heat pumps as thermal sources; the one serving as a thermal display while the other one is to play the role of a "robotic finger".