Design and implementation of tactile feedback device using electromagnetic type

In teleoperation, it is important for an operator to feel as if he really were in a distant place. To realize this objective, the various information from a remote site must be presented to the operator. Even though tactile information is very important to execute a task efficiently, it is not yet sufficiently provided for the operator. We propose a mechanism that can provide more dexterous tactile information to the operator. This device utilizing electromagnetic force is designed to be compact and light enough to attach to the fingerpad, and designed to be controlled continuously. The magnetic circuit is derived by the probable flux paths method in order to take forces at any given dimension. An optimization technique is also proposed to maximize the tactile force that humans can perceive under the same conditions. It is demonstrated that, by optimization, the tactile force increases by 24%, compared with that obtained from the initial design