Intuitive Hand Positional Guidance Using McKibben-Based Surface Tactile Sensations to Shoulder and Elbow
2026-08-10 • Human-Computer Interaction
Human-Computer InteractionRobotics
AI summaryⓘ
The authors created a wearable device that uses special surface sensations on the shoulder and elbow to guide hand movements in a natural way. Their device can make users feel six different arm motions by producing controlled pressure using fabric actuators. They tested and confirmed that this method is accurate and intuitive for guiding hand positions. They also compared their system's effectiveness to traditional methods like speech instructions and vibration signals.
hand positional guidanceMcKibben actuatorsurface tactile sensationequilibrium point hypothesisWeber-Fechner lawwearable fabric actuatorelbow flexionshoulder abductionvibrotactile guidanceimmersive environments
Authors
Kenta Yokoe, Yuki Funabora, Tadayoshi Aoyama
Abstract
Hand positional guidance with intuitive perception is crucial for enhancing user interaction and task performance in immersive environments. However, conventional hand positional guidance methods, relying on tactile sensations, lack intuitiveness. Consequently, users require instruction on the relationship between the tactile sensation and target position of the guidance before using these methods. Additionally, the user needs training to become familiar with tactile sensations. This study presents a hand positional guidance system with intuitive perception that leverages McKibben-based surface tactile sensations directed to the shoulder and elbow. We developed a wearable fabric actuator that provides McKibben-based surface tactile sensations to induce six specific movements: elbow flexion, extension, shoulder abduction, adduction, horizontal abduction, and horizontal adduction. The effectiveness of the actuator was experimentally validated, demonstrating its high accuracy in intuitively inducing six movements. An algorithm based on the equilibrium point hypothesis and Weber-Fechner law was implemented to regulate the intensity of the tactile sensations for hand positional guidance. Furthermore, the accuracy and speed of the proposed system were compared with that of conventional guidance methods utilizing synthesized speech and vibrotactile guidance.