The human tongue has superior movement and tactile sensations. For individuals\nwith severe disabilities, a tongue operated interface device can be used\nto operate life-support equipment, such as powered wheelchairs and robotic\nmanipulators. A joystick-type device can directly translate various tongue\nmotions to external equipment behavior. In addition, the user can interactively\ncommunicate with the equipment by tactile feedback. This helps the\nuser to control the equipment safely and skillfully. Considering these factors,\nin a previous study [1], we developed a novel tongue-operated joystick device\nwith reaction force feedback mechanism. We described the design process including\nthe analysis of human tongue movement and tactile sensations and\nshowed fundamental performances of reaction force feedback with the prototype\ndevice. In this study, we discuss the shape of the operational part that\nis used by the tongue. Two types of operational tools are prepared and their\noperability and perception of reaction force feedback are compared. Furthermore,\nwe confirm the effectiveness of reaction force feedback to operate\nthe joystick device safely and skillful controlling a mobile robot in an unknown\nenvironment.
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