PSO algorithm based thermal contact resistance estimation for variable force hand/object interaction

Integrating thermal interactions in multimodal systems requires understanding both users sensory abilities and the thermal behaviors of the surrounding environment. Thermal feedback, as a part of haptic feedback can assist in object identification, or in the creation of a more complete haptic signature of a given object. However, the heat exchange occurring between a fingertip and a given touched object is affected by the contact conditions. This paper proposes a Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm for identification of thermal contact resistance. This resistance is estimated for variable force Hand/Object Interaction using a thermal model describing the heat exchange. Experimental results validating the proposed approach are evaluated when touching real and simulated objects.