iFeel6-BH1500: A large-scale 6-DOF haptic device

It is a challenge to design a haptic device with a large workspace, high stiffness while maintain a good back drivability. In this paper, we present a large-scale haptic device iFeel6BH1500, which is based on a cable-driven parallel mechanism and can achieve 6 dimensional force feedback by controlling the tension of eight cables. The components and working principle of the device is presented, followed by the analysis of the statics and kinematic models. Moreover, a method of friction compensation is proposed to decrease the tension error for achieving good back drivability. The measurement results show that the tension error of the cables is greatly reduced by using the friction compensation. Finally, two demos for the application of iFeel6BH1500 are presented: virtual assembly of aircraft engine and virtual shooting for entertainment. The demos show the proposed device can provide large workspace, high stiffness and good back drivability.