Cutaneous Electrohydraulic (CUTE) Wearable Devices for Pleasant Broad‐Bandwidth Haptic Cues

Abstract By focusing on vibrations, current wearable haptic devices underutilize the skin's perceptual capabilities. Devices that provide richer haptic stimuli, including contact feedback and/or variable pressure, are typically heavy and bulky due to the underlying actuator technology and the l...

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Main Authors: Natalia Sanchez‐Tamayo, Zachary Yoder, Philipp Rothemund, Giulia Ballardini, Christoph Keplinger, Katherine J. Kuchenbecker
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2024-12-01
Series:Advanced Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202402461
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author Natalia Sanchez‐Tamayo
Zachary Yoder
Philipp Rothemund
Giulia Ballardini
Christoph Keplinger
Katherine J. Kuchenbecker
author_facet Natalia Sanchez‐Tamayo
Zachary Yoder
Philipp Rothemund
Giulia Ballardini
Christoph Keplinger
Katherine J. Kuchenbecker
author_sort Natalia Sanchez‐Tamayo
collection DOAJ
description Abstract By focusing on vibrations, current wearable haptic devices underutilize the skin's perceptual capabilities. Devices that provide richer haptic stimuli, including contact feedback and/or variable pressure, are typically heavy and bulky due to the underlying actuator technology and the low sensitivity of hairy skin, which covers most of the body. This article presents a system architecture for compact wearable devices that deliver salient and pleasant broad‐bandwidth haptic cues: Cutaneous Electrohydraulic (CUTE) devices combine a custom materials design for soft haptic electrohydraulic actuators that feature high stroke, high force, and electrical safety with a comfortable mounting strategy that places the actuator in a non‐contact resting position. A prototypical wrist‐wearable CUTE device produces rich tactile sensations by making and breaking contact with the skin (2.44 mm actuation stroke), applying high controllable forces (exceeding 2.3 N), and delivering vibrations at a wide range of amplitudes and frequencies (0–200 Hz). A perceptual study with 14 participants achieves 97.9% recognition accuracy across six diverse cues and verifies their pleasant and expressive feel. This system architecture for wearable devices gives unprecedented control over the haptic cues delivered to the skin, providing an elegant and discreet way to activate the user's sense of touch.
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issn 2198-3844
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spelling doaj-art-d1fadd9cc76d4bbcb5ae00c3d00a54892025-08-20T02:43:28ZengWileyAdvanced Science2198-38442024-12-011148n/an/a10.1002/advs.202402461Cutaneous Electrohydraulic (CUTE) Wearable Devices for Pleasant Broad‐Bandwidth Haptic CuesNatalia Sanchez‐Tamayo0Zachary Yoder1Philipp Rothemund2Giulia Ballardini3Christoph Keplinger4Katherine J. Kuchenbecker5Haptic Intelligence Department Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems Heisenbergstr. 3 70569 Stuttgart GermanyRobotic Materials Department Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems Heisenbergstr. 3 70569 Stuttgart GermanyRobotic Materials Department Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems Heisenbergstr. 3 70569 Stuttgart GermanyHaptic Intelligence Department Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems Heisenbergstr. 3 70569 Stuttgart GermanyRobotic Materials Department Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems Heisenbergstr. 3 70569 Stuttgart GermanyHaptic Intelligence Department Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems Heisenbergstr. 3 70569 Stuttgart GermanyAbstract By focusing on vibrations, current wearable haptic devices underutilize the skin's perceptual capabilities. Devices that provide richer haptic stimuli, including contact feedback and/or variable pressure, are typically heavy and bulky due to the underlying actuator technology and the low sensitivity of hairy skin, which covers most of the body. This article presents a system architecture for compact wearable devices that deliver salient and pleasant broad‐bandwidth haptic cues: Cutaneous Electrohydraulic (CUTE) devices combine a custom materials design for soft haptic electrohydraulic actuators that feature high stroke, high force, and electrical safety with a comfortable mounting strategy that places the actuator in a non‐contact resting position. A prototypical wrist‐wearable CUTE device produces rich tactile sensations by making and breaking contact with the skin (2.44 mm actuation stroke), applying high controllable forces (exceeding 2.3 N), and delivering vibrations at a wide range of amplitudes and frequencies (0–200 Hz). A perceptual study with 14 participants achieves 97.9% recognition accuracy across six diverse cues and verifies their pleasant and expressive feel. This system architecture for wearable devices gives unprecedented control over the haptic cues delivered to the skin, providing an elegant and discreet way to activate the user's sense of touch.https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202402461contact feedbackhaptic feedbackHASEL actuatorssoft roboticswearable devices
spellingShingle Natalia Sanchez‐Tamayo
Zachary Yoder
Philipp Rothemund
Giulia Ballardini
Christoph Keplinger
Katherine J. Kuchenbecker
Cutaneous Electrohydraulic (CUTE) Wearable Devices for Pleasant Broad‐Bandwidth Haptic Cues
Advanced Science
contact feedback
haptic feedback
HASEL actuators
soft robotics
wearable devices
title Cutaneous Electrohydraulic (CUTE) Wearable Devices for Pleasant Broad‐Bandwidth Haptic Cues
title_full Cutaneous Electrohydraulic (CUTE) Wearable Devices for Pleasant Broad‐Bandwidth Haptic Cues
title_fullStr Cutaneous Electrohydraulic (CUTE) Wearable Devices for Pleasant Broad‐Bandwidth Haptic Cues
title_full_unstemmed Cutaneous Electrohydraulic (CUTE) Wearable Devices for Pleasant Broad‐Bandwidth Haptic Cues
title_short Cutaneous Electrohydraulic (CUTE) Wearable Devices for Pleasant Broad‐Bandwidth Haptic Cues
title_sort cutaneous electrohydraulic cute wearable devices for pleasant broad bandwidth haptic cues
topic contact feedback
haptic feedback
HASEL actuators
soft robotics
wearable devices
url https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202402461
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