Haptylus : Haptic Stylus for Interaction with Virtual Objects behind a Touch Screen

Haptylus consist of an automatic retractable stylus and a tablet PC. A user can touch a virtual object behind a tablet PC using the retractable stylus. When user pushes the stylus toward tablet PC, the stylus shrinks, causing the user to get a sensation that the stylus goes into tablet PC. A DC motor is attached to the retractable stylus and the DC motor drives to shrink the stylus according to a pressure sensor attached to the tip of stylus.
When a tip of virtual stylus touches a virtual object, voice coil motor attached to the stylus oscillates according to the surface of a virtual object.

User can get a sensation such as touching the object in tablet PC by using the proposed system. By using Haptylus, the user can touch elastic, rigid, rough, slick or slimy objects.
The system is not only a system giving the haptic sensation but a novel tablet PC interface in the future.

For example, the system displays the picture taken at remote location in real-time and the user can touch and feel the object in the picture. And this system will be used as a controller for some remote machines or some surgical robots.

Thus, it is expected that Haptylus can be used as various interfaces in the future.

Shingo Nagasaka
Graduate School Of Engineering Science, Osaka University

Yuki Uranishi
Division of Medical Information Technology and Administration Planning, Kyoto University

Shunsuke Yoshimoto
Graduate School Of Engineering Science, Osaka University

Masataka Imura
Graduate School Of Engineering Science, Osaka University

Osamu Oshiro
Graduate School Of Engineering Science, Osaka University