H.A. van Essen

HIM: a framework for haptic instant messaging

Instant Messaging (IM) is a popular chatting platform on the internet and increasingly permeates teenage life. Even intimate and emotional content is discussed. As touch is a powerful signal for emotional content, haptic signals, and especially hapticons can contribute to overcome the inevi-table loss of subtle non-verbal communication cues. Audio-visual extensions of IM to share emotions, in particular emoticons, have been received enthusiastically by IM users. This indicates a realistic user-need for hapticons in IM.The Haptic Instant Messaging (HIM) framework introduced in this paper combines communication of textual messages with haptic effects and hapticons. The application is build as an open framework and supports small chatting communities to explore the design and use of hapticons and haptic IO devices. Researchers can use the HIM framework to monitor the use of haptics in communication and how haptics contribute to the fun and meaning of instant messaging.

Guidelines for haptic interpersonal communication applications: an exploration of foot interaction styles

A new method for researching haptic interaction styles is presented, based on a layered interaction model and a classification of existing devices. The method is illustrated by designing a new foot interaction device. The aim of which is to enhance non-verbal communication over a computer network. A layered protocols interaction model allows to consider all aspects of the haptic communication process: the intention to perform an action, limitations of the human body, and specifications of the communication device and the network. We demonstrate how this model can be used to derive design-guidelines by analyzing and classifying existing communication devices. By designing and evaluating a foot interaction device, we not only demonstrate that feet are suited for personal, concealed communication over a network, but also show the added value of the design-guidelines. Results of user tests provide clues for designing stimuli for foot interaction and indicate applications of foot communication devices.

FootIO - design and evaluation of a device to enable foot interaction over a computer network

The development of a device that enables haptic foot interaction for communication over a network is presented. Considering the physical properties of feet we demonstrate that feet are suited for personal, concealed communication over a computer network. First experiments to investigate both the usability and fun of using foot interaction indicate promising results and concrete opportunities for further development.

Layered protocols approach to analyze haptic communication over a network

A layered protocols interaction model to describe haptic communication between two persons over a network is presented. This approach allows to consider all aspects of the haptic communication process: the intention to do an action, limitations of the human body, the communication device, and the network. The goal of the model is threefold, firstly it is a tool to identify problems and opportunities in existing haptic interaction projects, secondly it directs to solution areas of these problems and opportunities, and thirdly it aids to propose design guidelines for new devices for haptic interaction. We show that the model can be used during the synthesis of devices. As a first step in this process, existing communication devices are being analyzed and classified. Their strong and weak points are identified and linked to signals in the model. In the future, this should result in a set of design guidelines for haptic communication devices.

Coordination of Rigid and Flexible Joint Robot Manipulators

In this paper we address the problem of position coordination of robot manipulators. Two coordinating controllers are presented, one for rigid joint robots, and one for flexible joint robots. In both cases the coordination system is based on a master-slave scheme and only position measurements are required.

Nonlinear Model Predictive Control of a Laboratory Gas Turbine Installation

The feasibility of Model Predictive Control (MPC) applied to a laboratory gas turbine installation is investigated. MPC explicitly incorporates (input- and output-) constraints in its optimizations, which explains the choice for this computationally demanding control strategy. Strong nonlinearities, displayed by the gas turbine installation, cannot always be handled adequately by standard linear MPC. Therefore, we resort to nonlinear methods, based on successive linearization and nonlinear prediction as well as the combination of these. We implement these methods, using a nonlinear model of the installation, and compare them to linear MPC. It is shown that controller performance can be improved, without increasing controller execution-time excessively.Copyright

Nonlinear Model Predictive Control Experiments on a Laboratory Gas Turbine Installation

Results on the feasibility and benefits of model based predictive control applied to a gas turbine are presented. For a laboratory gas turbine installation, the required dynamic simulation model and the real-time (nonlinear) Model Predictive Control (MPC) implementation are discussed. Results on both model validation and control performance are presented. We applied a nonlinear MPC configuration to control the laboratory gas turbine installation and succeeded in a real-time implementation. Although the available computation time for prediction and optimization of the model limits the sample time, the advantages of MPC, i.e. constraint handling, and anticipation to future (set-point) changes are fully reached, and the control performance is good. Special attention is paid to the performance of the applied filter that compensates for inevitable mismatches between model and process measurements. In general, the opportunities of model based control of turbomachinery are promising.Copyright