Development of a haptic glove based on magnetorheological fluid

Abstract

A data-input glove is a device which can allow simple and quick programming of versatile robot end effectors with similar form to human hands, known as anthropomorphic robot hands. Further sophistication to the glove, such as the capability to transmit a sense of feel to the user, can allow the programming to be even more accurate. Such a haptic glove can also be used in a number of applications when interfaced with either a virtual environment or a remote environment. These include training in the medical field as well as military training, tele-rehabilitation, design, aid to people with special needs, as well as use in hazardous environments. This work first provides an overview of haptic gloves found in the literature, with a focus on their applications and their requirements. This information is then used to justify an innovative actuator technology which makes use of Magnetorheological Fluid (MRF), a smart fluid which reversibly changes viscosity proportionally to an applied magnetic field, to alter the force feedback in a haptic glove. This is followed by the development of a linear damper to form part of the proposed glove, a report on the selection between MRFs with different iron content, all developed in-house, as well as different damper designs. These selections are based on the values achieved throughout several experiments. The development of a position sensing system for the glove, as well as of simulation software for the glove follows. A first prototype of the glove, with MR.F based force feedback and position sensing on the middle finger, was then constructed. Finally, this work reports on the testing and evaluation of this prototype.