HapticPuppet: A Kinesthetic Mid-air Multidirectional Force-Feedback Drone-based Interface

Abstract

Providing kinesthetic force-feedback for human-scale interactions is challenging due to the relatively large forces needed. Therefore, robotic actuators are predominantly used to deliver this kind of haptic feedback; however, they offer limited flexibility and spatial resolution. In this work, we introduce HapticPuppet, a drone-based force-feedback interface which can exert multidirectional forces onto the human body. This can be achieved by attaching strings to different parts of the human body such as fingers, hands or ankles, which can then be affixed to multiple coordinated drones - puppeteering the user. HapticPuppet opens up a wide range of potential applications in virtual, augmented and mixed reality, exercising, physiotherapy, remote collaboration as well as haptic guidance.