CAREER: A Human-Centered Approach to Haptic Human-Machine Interface Research

Purdue Research Foundation, West Lafayette IN

Investigators

Abstract

This is the first year of fimding of a 4-year continuing award. The P1 will investigate the perceptual dimensionality associated with an interface, with the goal of exploring the possibility that a new approach based on psychophysical experimentation will allow herto overcome the crucial limitation of the traditional method of multidimensional scaling (MDS) that it cannot deal with the situation where the dimensionality of the perceptual space exceeds that of the physical space. The information transmission capabilities of several human-machine interfaces will also be assessed, with the goal of developing an efficient paradigm for obtaining reliable estimates of information transfer. Work on these two issues will be performed in the context of a commercially available force-feedback display, a new haptic directional display, and a novel sensing chair. By working on these interfaces with very different sensor and actuator technologies, the P1 hopes to develop a general information-based framework with applications to other areas of HC1. The new information-based framework will be integrated in several ways into the graduate and undergraduate curriculum and research projects, including hands-on research opportunities for undergraduate students wherein they practice their leadership skills through technical excellence and mentoring of K-12 school children; these activities will be conducted in part in collaboration with NASA through involvement in its Reduced-Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program (colloquially known as the "vomit-comet").