Surface Texture Reproduction and Amplification for Haptic Perception

This paper explores the possibility of improving human haptic capabilities by amplifying minute surface texture irregularities that are otherwise undetectable to the human touch. The study was carried out with different controllers for surface texture reproduction and amplification aiming for enhanced haptic perception. Firstly, a non-identical master replica system that is capable of simultaneous force-position response amplification was developed. The robust control was realized with the disturbance observer. Three different controllers; a position controller, a force controller, and an acceleration-based scaling bilateral controller were applied. The results confirm that the rearmost controller successfully reproduced amplified haptic feedback of surface texture at the master despite the inherent vibration and noises introduced due to the lateral movement of the surface. The data extracted from the surfaces using the scaling bilateral controller demonstrate unique properties per object that can be applied for object classification.