HapticWhirl, a Flywheel-Gimbal Handheld Haptic Controller for Exploring Multimodal Haptic Feedback.

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Robotics
• Mechatronics

Background:

• Current haptic actuators offer limited single-modality feedback.
• Integrating multiple actuators for complex haptic stimuli increases system complexity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design a single-actuator haptic controller capable of delivering multiple kinaesthetic haptic feedback modalities.
• To enrich the haptic dimension in virtual reality (VR) environments.

Main Methods:

• A novel haptic controller was designed featuring a flywheel controlled by two gimbals (360-degree rotation).
• A flywheel brake was integrated to enable diverse haptic effect generation.
• The device's design, implementation, and characterization were performed.

Main Results:

• The controller successfully generated multiple haptic feedback modalities, including torque, impact, vibrations, and inertial effects.
• Complex haptic outputs, such as vortex-like forces, were simulated.
• The system demonstrated the potential for richer haptic feedback in VR.

Conclusions:

• A single-actuator haptic controller was developed, overcoming limitations of multi-actuator systems.
• The device offers a versatile platform for generating diverse kinaesthetic haptic feedback.
• Potential applications in VR and other fields were proposed.