Fourigami: A 4-Degree-Of-Freedom, Force-Controlled, Origami, Finger Pad Haptic Device
Crystal Winston, Hojung Choi, Rianna Jitosho, Zhenishbek Zhakypov, Jasmin Elena Palmer, Mark Cutkosky, Allison M. Okamura
AI summary
Problem
Wearable finger pad haptic devices struggle to simultaneously achieve multi-degree-of-freedom force rendering, a compact lightweight design, and direct closed-loop force control to compensate for varying user finger stiffness.
Approach
The device combines origami-inspired manufacturing and pneumatic pouch actuation to create a 25 g prototype, integrated with a miniature 6-axis force/torque sensor for precise closed-loop force regulation.
Key results
- 25 g lightweight origami prototype with 4-DoF motion
- Closed-loop force control via a 2 g, 6-axis force/torque sensor
- Blocked force outputs of ±2.2 N shear, 5.6 N normal, and ±11 N·mm torsion
- 2-4 Hz bandwidth with validated haptic rendering on human fingers
Why it matters
Provides a practical, high-fidelity tactile interface for VR, AR, and teleoperation by resolving the longstanding trade-off between device weight, degrees of freedom, and control accuracy.
Abstract
Skin deformation haptic devices worn on the finger pad provide realistic touch feedback during interactions with virtual objects. Two primary challenges in creating such devices are: (1) making a multi-degree-of-freedom device that is small and lightweight so it does not encumber the wearer and (2) providing accurate control of forces displayed to the finger pad. This work presents a 4-degree-of-freedom (DoF) finger pad haptic device, called Fourigami, that addresses these challenges. We address the first challenge using origami manufacturing methods and pneumatic actuation to fabricate a 25 g prototype that displays normal, shear, and twist and can be easily worn on the finger pad. We address the second challenge using a low- profile, 6-DoF, force/torque sensor to control forces displayed to the finger. Fourigami has a bandwidth ranging from 2-4 Hz depending on direction, and when acting on a human finger, it exerts forces ranging from ± 1.0 N in shear, 4.2 N in normal, and ± 4.2 N·mm of twist. Finally, we demonstrate the device’s efficacy when rendering haptic feedback to a user tracking a sinusoidal trajectory and a trajectory representing interactions with a virtual object.