Identification process dedicated to haptic devices

The haptic interfaces aim at the user's immersion in virtual environments through the stimulation of the haptic sense. Most devices consist of an articulated mechanical structure introducing distortions between the operator and the explored world. This distortion must be identified in order to assess the quality of the interface. The least-squares (LS) regressions are often used because of their simplicity. However, if the identification process takes place when the device is controlled by feedback, then the LS estimator is biased. To verify the reliability of the results, the bias of the estimator must be evaluated. This paper deals with this issue and introduces the design and the application of a derivate of the CESTAC method.