Investigation of the usability of pseudo-haptic feedback in teleoperation

Pseudo haptic sensation is an illusion based on visual stimuli. In virtual environments the principle of pseudo haptic feedback is used to simulate material properties such as stiffness, mass and friction. Transfering the principle of pseudo haptic feedback to real haptic teleoperation systems can provide a haptic sensation for properties of material, manipulated without active haptic feedback. Hence, the implementation of pseudo haptic feedback to teleoperation systems reduces the requirements for kinematic structures and actuators of the used haptic user interface .In this work, we discuss the usability of pseudo haptic feedback for its application in teleoperation systems. The mechanisms of pseudo-haptic feedback are theoretically explained for an exemplary teleoperation task. Options to vary the intensity of the users pseudo haptic sensation are derived. The effect of pseudo haptic feedback for teleoperation is based on changing the input-output ratio by actual measured interaction forces at the end-effector. A one degree of freedom teleoperation system is used for first experiments with pseudo haptic feedback in teleoperation. The used teleoperation system couples users input force to a defined displacement of an end-effector. Our results prove the validity of pseudo-haptic feedback in teleoperation by a compliance discrimination experiment.