From: waleed@cse.unsw.edu.au (Mohammed Waleed Kadous)
Subject: Re: TECH: Tactile Feedback Devices
Date: 6 Feb 1997 14:09:30 GMT
Message-ID: <5dcomq$ofv$1@mirv.unsw.edu.au>
Organization: University of New South Wales


Jessica Wing (jessica@cyborganic.net) wrote:

: I am looking for tactile feedback devices to incorporate into a
: motion-tracking system -- for example, to let the person being tracked
: know if they are out of range of the motion tracker.  I would need
: these devices to be small and wireless.  Our original idea is have
: small vibrating units (such as finger rings) that would vibrate as
: long as they were receiving a "you are in range" signal from the
: tracking device. I suppose this would have to be done with a radio
: receiver/transmitter.  In concept this is very similar to a commercial
: pager -- something that vibrates when it gets a signal.

Hmmm ... the closest thing I have seen that fulfils what you are
asking for are the devices used in Virtual Tehcnologies' CyberTouch
system. They are small, but they're not wireless, and the unfortunate
reality appears to be that you have to buy the rest of the glove for
it. owever, they do appear to be detachable, so perhaps you could
contact VirTex and ask them if they vibrotactile bits could be sold
separately?

Anyway, there is one attached to each finger. They are about the size
of a thimble, and when they receive the signal they start to buzz at
what sounds like around 50Hz.

It might be hard to get them wireless this small. The problem would
seem to be that these devices appear to consume a decent amount of
power in getting the things to vibrate, obviously you can't really fit
one in situ; so you've probably got to mount a power source somewhere
on the body and connect it via wires. You might as well put the radio
receiver here as well. You could use something like the "bum bag" used
by the MotionStar Wireless system from Ascension Technologies; where
all the circuitry is and power source is stored in a pack tied around
the waist. Wires from the "bum bag" then go to all the sensors
positioned around the body.

Useful URLs you may wish to investigate:

Virtual Technologies: http://www.virtex.com/~virtex
Ascension Technologies: http://www.ascension-tech.com

Regards,


Waleed.


+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| "Early to rise, early to bed, makes a man healthy, wealthy and dead."      |
|                                        - Terry Pratchett                   |
|>  Waleed Kadous. RAVE Lab, AI Dept, Computer Science & Engineering, UNSW  <|
|>  e-mail: waleed@cse.unsw.edu.au URL: http://www.cse.unsw.edu.au/~waleed  <|
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