Northwestern University

John Glassmire

Michael A Peshkin

James Edward Colgate

Laura Winfield Alexander

Laura Winfield

A device including a body configured to be grasped by a user's hand and a touch surface oriented on a first surface of the body, wherein the touch surface is configured to be engaged by an appendage of the user's hand when the body is grasped by the user's hand. The device also includes a friction modulator associated with the touch surface, wherein the friction modulator is configured to modulate a coefficient of friction between the user's appendage and the touch surface to provide haptic feedback.

Haptic device with indirect haptic feedback

A method of creating a haptic effect on a touch surface, the method including the steps of detecting a location of a first appendage and a second appendage on a touch surface, applying a mechanical force to the first and second appendages at the detected locations on the touch surface, modulating the amplitude of the mechanical force to adjust a friction force applied to the first appendage and second appendage to simulate a texture.

A method of imitating a texture on a touch surface, the method including the steps of sensing a position of a user's finger on the touch surface, modulating a coefficient of friction of the touch surface in response to the sensed position of a user's appendage relative to the touch surface and/or a derivative thereof, where the friction modulator does not alter the contour of the touch surface in a manner that is perceptible to a user's sight or touch.

An indirect haptic device having a substrate having a touch surface, a position sensor of a user's clothed appendage relative to the touch surface, a friction modulator associated with the substrate, a control device connected to the position sensor and the friction modulator, wherein a coefficient of friction on the touch surface is modulated in response to a sensed position of a user's clothed appendage relative to the touch surface and/or a derivative thereof.

A haptic device provides an indirect haptic device, having a substrate having a touch surface, a position sensor and a friction modulator associated with the substrate, a control device connected to the position sensor and the friction modulator, wherein a coefficient of friction on the touch surface is modulated in response to a sensed position of relative to the touch surface and/or a derivative thereof.

A haptic device provides indirect haptic feedback and includes a substrate having a touch surface, a position sensor and a friction modulator associated with the substrate, wherein a coefficient of friction of the touch surface is modulated in response to a sensed position of relative to the touch surface and/or a derivative thereof.

A haptic device provides indirect haptic feedback and virtual texture sensations to a user by modulation of friction of a touch surface of the device in response to one or more sensed parameters and/or time. The sensed parameters can include, but are not limited to, sensed position of the user's finger, derivatives of sensed finger position such as velocity and/or acceleration, sensed finger pressure, and/or sensed direction of motion of the finger. The touch surface is adapted to be touched by a user's bare finger, thumb or other appendage and/or by an instrument such as a stylus held by the user.

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Seattle, WA, United States of America

John Glassmire