Customization, Control, and Characterization of a Commercial Haptic Device for High-Fidelity Rendering of Weak Forces

Background: The emergence of commercial haptic devices offers new research opportunities to enhance our understanding of the human sensory-motor system. Yet, commercial device capabilities have limitations which need to be addressed. This paper describes the customization of a commercial force feedback device for displaying forces with a precision that exceeds the human force perception threshold. New Method: The device was outfitted with a multi-axis force sensor and closed-loop controlled to improve its transparency. Additionally, two force sensing resistors were attached to the device to measure grip force. Force errors were modeled in the frequency- and time-domain to identify contributions from the mass, viscous friction, and Coulomb friction during open- and closed-loop control. The effect of user interaction on system stability was assessed in the context of a user study which aimed to measure force perceptual thresholds. Results: Findings based on 15 participants demonstrate that the system maintains stability when rendering forces ranging from 0–0.20 N, with an average maximum absolute force error of 0.041 ± 0.013 N. Modeling the force errors revealed that Coulomb friction and inertia were the main contributors to force distortions during respectively slow and fast motions. Comparison with Existing Methods: Existing commercial force feedback devices cannot render forces with the required precision for certain testing scenarios. Building on existing robotics work, this paper shows how a device can be customized to make it reliable for studying the perception of weak forces. Conclusions: The customized and closed-loop controlled device is suitable for measuring force perceptual thresholds