Design of a cutaneous fingertip display for improving haptic exploration of virtual objects

A new prototype of portable device for haptic interaction with virtual environments is presented. It is a lightweight interface for the fingertips, designed for providing cutaneous feedback and displaying the contact ¿ non contact transition in highly immersive virtual environments. The second version of the interface features a force sensor for controlling the force on the fingertip during contact, assuring a better haptic feedback. In this paper the kinematics, the mechanical design and the improved control system are described. The device has been mounted on a kinesthetic haptic interface which tracks its position: in this configuration, the overall system can provide both cutaneous and kinesthetic feedback and improve the fidelity of the haptic interaction. Finally the performance of the cutaneous device in a task of contour following has been evaluated.