Electromagnetic Vibration Tactile Feedback for Biological and Artificial Wave Signals

Abstract

As one of the important senses of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, tactile feedback can provide users with touch sensation such as shape, quality and texture of contacting objects, thus enhancing the immersion and interaction of virtual environments. Here we present an electromagnetic vibration device, which can transmit tactile information by displaying programmable biological or artificial wave signals. This device uses the H-bridge circuit to drive the coil with alternating current to excite a varying spatial magnetic field, thereby generating attractive and repulsive forces alternately on the magnetic stick to form vibration feedback. We display biological vibration signals like heartbeat and sound waves with this device, and inertial sensors are used to prove the accuracy of vibration generation by recording the stick’s movement. In addition, several vibration modes are designed according to the human tactile perception characteristics, and recognition experiments shows that they can be distinguished correctly for delivering different messages.