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A Fabric-Based Approach for Softness Rendering

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Multisensory Softness

Part of the book series: Springer Series on Touch and Haptic Systems ((SSTHS))

Abstract

In this chapter we describe a softness display based on the contact area spread rate (CASR) paradigm. This device uses a stretchable fabric as a substrate that can be touched by users, while contact area is directly measured via an optical system. By varying the stretching state of the fabric, different stiffness values can be conveyed to users. We describe a first technological implementation of the display and compare its performance in rendering various levels of stiffness with the one exhibited by a pneumatic CASR-based device. Psychophysical experiments are reported and discussed. Afterwards, we present a new technological implementation for the fabric-based display, with reduced dimensions and faster actuation, which enables rapid changes in the fabric stretching state. These changes are mandatory to properly track typical force/area curves of real materials. System performance in mimicking force-area curves obtained from real objects exhibits a high degree of reliability, also in eliciting overall discriminable levels of softness.

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Acknowledgments

This work is supported by the European Research Council under the ERC Advanced Grant \(n^\circ \) 291166 SoftHands (A Theory of Soft Synergies for a New Generation of Artificial Hands). The research leading to these results has also received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme FP7/2007–2013 under grand agreement \(n^{\circ }\) 248587 THE (The Hand Embodied) and under grant agreement \(n^{\circ }\) 601165 WEARHAP (WEARable HAPtics for humans and robots).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Advanced Robotics (ADVR), Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego 30, 16123, Genoa, Italy

    Matteo Bianchi & Antonio Bicchi

  2. Research Centre “E. Piaggio”, Università di Pisa, Largo Lucio Lazzarino 1, 56126, Pisa, Italy

    Matteo Bianchi, Alessandro Serio, Enzo Pasquale Scilingo & Antonio Bicchi

Authors
  1. Matteo Bianchi
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  2. Alessandro Serio
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  3. Enzo Pasquale Scilingo
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  4. Antonio Bicchi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Matteo Bianchi .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Computational Neuroscience and Cognitive Robotics, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom

    Massimiliano Di Luca

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Bianchi, M., Serio, A., Scilingo, E.P., Bicchi, A. (2014). A Fabric-Based Approach for Softness Rendering. In: Di Luca, M. (eds) Multisensory Softness. Springer Series on Touch and Haptic Systems. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-6533-0_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-6533-0_11

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-6532-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-6533-0

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