An experimental teletaction system for sensing and teleperception of human pulse

Teletaction is the sensing of a remote object by transmitting tactile information from a remote tactile sensor to an operator’s skin through tactile interface devices. A tactile interface is used to reproduce the information such as force (static and dynamic), texture, roughness, temperature, and shape. This paper describes the design, modeling, simulation, fabrication and testing of an experimental teletaction system to detect and reproduce the human pulse. It consists of three major components: pulse sensing system, pulse teleperception system and the data processing system. Two 25 μm thick polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) film sensors had been fabricated and calibrated for pulse detection and force measurement. A computer controlled force feedback system was developed for achieving pulse teleperception. The simulation and experimental results demonstrated the close matching between the sensed and perceived pulse. A psychophysics test showed that the fingertip feeling at the pulse teleperception end closely matched the feeling of touching a human pulse directly.