Effects of Mechanical Properties of a Force Feedback Joystick on Human Perception and Sensorimotor Performance

Force feedback devices support the human operator in terms of teleoperation or telerobotic. In addition to visual and acoustic information, haptic feedback may significantly improve performance, if relevant mechanical properties are applied appropriately. Not only users on earth but also in space will benefit from the advantages of force feedback systems. For that matter the major challenge consists of the adaptation of mechanical properties to microgravity and the effects on the human body. Consequently, this thesis provides basic insights for future investigations of perception and performance of mechanical properties at the International Space Station (ISS). Overall, 22 people participated in a psychophysical perception task and performed 18 aiming and tracking tasks which combined different levels of stiffness, damping and inertia with a force feedback joystick under conditions of regular terrestrial gravity (1g). Results indicate that the task-related combinations of different levels of stiffness and damping are advantagous. However, inertia hardly has any influence on the performance. Fast movements can be conducted best without stiffness and damping. A combination of medium stiffness and damping reveals beneficial effects on precise aiming. High stiffness and available damping facilitate smooth movements, reduce overshoots and enable precise tracking of a moving target. In addition, the direction of movement has a large influence on fine motor performance due to biomechanical characteristics of the human hand arm system. The relevance of results and the impact on further investigations and applications are discussed