The haptic position measurement of soft or compliant objects using the magnetic tracking system

A novel haptic position measurement system (HPMS) utilizing a hand-held magnetic sensor is developed to measure the position and shape of soft/compliant objects. The magnetic senor, serving as a touch probe, is guided by hand to contact with the object. The haptic feedback from the contact between the sensor and object provides the guidance to the user for measurement. The HPMS is validated by measuring the diameter of a soft silicone phantom and shown capable to achieve 0.2 mm accuracy level. This result demonstrated the feasibility for HPMS as a new approach to measure the shape of soft and compliant objects.