Haptic interface for perceiving remote object using a laser range finder

This paper describes development of a haptic interface using a laser range finder. The system consists of a laser range finder, a 1 degree-of-freedom haptic apparatus and a computer. The haptic apparatus can generate a reaction force based on a distance to a remote object that is measured by the laser range finder. A user can feel the shape of a remote object by holding this interface and pointing the object. Three haptic rendering algorithms were developed. Through some experiments, the effectiveness of this system was confirmed.