Romano, Joseph
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Publication High Frequency Acceleration Feedback Significantly Increases the Realism of Haptically Rendered Textured Surfaces(2010-04-08) McMahan, William; Romano, Joseph M.; Rahuman, Amal M. Abdul; Kuchenbecker, Katherine J.Almost every physical interaction generates high frequency vibrations, especially if one of the objects is a rigid tool. Previous haptics research has hinted that the inclusion or exclusion of these signals plays a key role in the realism of haptically rendered surface textures, but this connection has not been formally investigated until now. This paper presents a human subject study that compares the performance of a variety of surface rendering algorithms for a master-slave teleoperation system; each controller provides the user with a different combination of position and acceleration feedback, and subjects compared the renderings with direct tool-mediated exploration of the real surface. We use analysis of variance to examine quantitative performance metrics and qualitative realism ratings across subjects. The results of this study show that algorithms that include high-frequency acceleration feedback in combination with position feedback achieve significantly higher realism ratings than traditional position feedback alone. Furthermore, we present a frequency-domain metric for quantifying a controller's acceleration feedback performance; given a constant surface stiffness, the median of this metric across subjects was found to have a significant positive correlation with median realism rating.Publication The AirWand: Design and Characterization of a Large-Workspace Haptic Device(2009-05-12) Romano, Joseph M.; Kuchenbecker, Katherine J.Almost all commercially available haptic interfaces share a common pitfall, a small shoebox-sized workspace; these devices typically rely on rigid-link manipulator design concepts. In this paper we outline our design for a new kinesthetic haptic system that drastically increases the usable haptic workspace. We present a proof-of-concept prototype, along with our analysis of its capabilities. Our design uses optical tracking to sense the position of the device, and air jet actuation to generate forces. By combining these two technologies, we are able to detach our device from the ground, thus sidestepping many problems that have plagued traditional haptic devices including workspace size, friction, and inertia. We show that optical tracking and air jet actuation successfully enable kinesthetic haptic interaction with virtual environments. Given an appropriately large volume high-pressure air source, and a reasonably high speed tracking system, this design paradigm has many desirable qualities when compared to traditional haptic design schemes.Publication Toward tactilely transparent gloves: Collocated slip sensing and vibrotactile actuation(2009-04-03) Romano, Joseph M; Gray, Steven R; Jacobs, Nathan T; Kuchenbecker, Katherine JTactile information plays a critical role in the human ability to manipulate objects with one's hands. Many environments require the use of protective gloves that diminish essential tactile feedback. Under these circumstances, seemingly simple tasks such as picking up an object can become very difficult. This paper introduces the SlipGlove, a novel device that uses an advanced sensing and actuation system to return this vital tactile information to the user. Our SlipGlove prototypes focus on providing tactile cues associated with slip between the glove and a contact surface. Relative motion is sensed using optical mouse sensors embedded in the glove's surface. This information is conveyed to the wearer via miniature vibration motors placed inside the glove against the wearer's skin. The collocation of slip sensing and tactile feedback creates a system that is natural and intuitive to use. We report results from a human subject study demonstrating that the SlipGlove allows the wearer to approach the capabilities of bare skin in detecting and reacting to fingertip slip. Users of the SlipGlove also had significantly faster and more consistent reaction to fingertip slip when compared to a traditional glove design. The SlipGlove technology allows us to enhance human perception when interacting with real environments and move toward the goal of a tactilely transparent glove.Publication Real-Time Graphic and Haptic Simulation of Deformable Tissue Puncture(2008-12-01) Romano, Joseph; Safonova, Alla; Kuchenbecker, Katherine JA myriad of surgical tasks rely on puncturing tissue membranes (Fig. 1) and cutting through tissue mass. Properly training a practitioner for such tasks requires a simulator that can display both the graphical changes and the haptic forces of these deformations, punctures, and cutting actions. This paper documents our work to create a simulator that can model these effects in real time. Generating graphic and haptic output necessitates the use of a predictive model to track the tissue’s physical state. Many finite element methods (FEM) exist for computing tissue deformation ([1],[4]). These methods often obtain accurate results, but they can be computationally intensive for complex models. Real-time tasks using this approach are often limited in their complexity and workspace domain due to the large computational overhead of FEM. The computer graphics community has developed a large range of methods for modeling deformable media [5], often trading complete physical accuracy for computational speedup. Casson and Laugier [3] outline a mass-spring mesh model based on these principles, but they do not explore its usage with haptic interaction. Gerovich et al. [2] detail a set of haptic interaction rules (Fig. 2) for one dimensional simulation of multi-layer deformable tissue, but they do not provide strategies for integrating this model with realistic graphic feedback.Publication Haptography: Capturing and Recreating the Rich Feel of Real Surfaces(2011-01-01) Kuchenbecker, Katherine J; Romano, Joseph; McMahan, WilliamHaptic interfaces, which allow a user to touch virtual and remote environments through a hand-held tool, have opened up exciting new possibilities for applications such as computer-aided design and robot-assisted surgery. Unfortunately, the haptic renderings produced by these systems seldom feel like authentic re-creations of the richly varied surfaces one encounters in the real world. We have thus envisioned the new approach of haptography, or haptic photography, in which an individual quickly records a physical interaction with a real surface and then recreates that experience for a user at a different time and/or place. This paper presents an overview of the goals and methods of haptography, emphasizing the importance of accurately capturing and recreating the high frequency accelerations that occur during tool-mediated interactions. In the capturing domain, we introduce a new texture modeling and synthesis method based on linear prediction applied to acceleration signals recorded from real tool interactions. For recreating, we show a new haptography handle prototype that enables the user of a Phantom Omni to feel fine surface features and textures.